The post Costly Blunder of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – After the Trump Administration issued expedited approval for fracking at an oil platform off the California coast, an environmental group noted that the same company has a history of incidents, including one earlier this month at a different offshore platform.

On May 11 of this year, Your News Channel broke the news that a fire on a retired offshore natural gas platform had forced the rescue of 26 people working to decommission the aging energy infrastructure.

"I want to thank the U.S. Coast Guard, Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol, Santa Barbara City Fire Department, and the Santa Barbara and Ventura County Fire Departments for safely evacuating the crew and extinguishing the fire on Platform Habitat," stated Central Coast Congressman Salud Carbajal regarding the rescue operation. "While we await a full investigation into the cause of the fire and any potential environmental impacts, today's incident serves as a sobering reminder of the inherent risks that offshore drilling poses to our coast."

Platform Habitat, part of the Pitas Point Field, was not operational at the time of the fire and instead, has been slated for decommissioning since 2015.

The company that owns the now-expired lease for the platform installed in 1981 and is responsible for decommissioning the 20 shut-in wells at Platform Habitat is DCOR LLC.

Since the expiration of the associated lease in March of 2016, DCOR LLC has been legally required to permanently decommission Platform Habitat and related facilities within one year of the expiration.

According to federal law, leases that have continued beyond their primary term for oil and natural gas infrastructure that stop production, must restart production within 180 days.

"In September 2013, BSEE [Bureau of Safety ad Environmental Enforcement] granted DCOR a suspension of production, which lasted through June 2014," explained a letter from the Department of the Interior to DCOR LLC in May of 2021. "At the end of 2015, the platform producing from the leases, known as Platform Habitat, was shut in, and production ceased."

"Although BSEE may d

The post Santa Rosa Island Fire Burns Through Rare Torrey Pine Grove appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

The post The 40th Annual I Madonnari Festival Returns appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

ORCUTT, Calif. (KEYT) - The Principal of St. Joseph High School in Orcutt has been suspended.

The announcement was made at the end of last week.

Online reports have been confirmed by St. Joseph High School staff that principal Erinn Dougherty has been placed on administrative leave.

Your News Channel is working on verifying details surrounding the reasons for the principal’s suspension.

It appears that during an incident as Dougherty was trying to handle a conflict among students, and she allegedly used language not in-line with the school’s mission.

With the end of the school year and commencement proceedings around the corner, athletic director Tom Mott has assumed interim administration duties.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has sent us the following statement:

"The Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Department of Catholic Schools is working closely with the school to address this matter upholding the core Christian principles of our Catholic schools. St. Joseph High School remains committed to providing an environment grounded in faith, compassion, respect, and accountability for every student and for all in the school community. The school has taken steps to ensure that all end-of-year processes, graduation requirements and festivities will remain on schedule, and that every student successfully meets their final milestones.

We are grateful for the efforts of the school community and offer our prayers for a good rest of the school year."

The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With The Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.

The post Principal Of St. Joseph High School Placed On Administrative Leave appeared first on News Channel 3-12.