Federal OK of Oil Well At Carrizo Plain Natl. Monument Sparks Outrage

"To most Southern Californians, the Carrizo Plain National Monument is best known for its stunning wildflower blooms and bone-white Soda Lake.

But to environmentalists, the plain is a well-preserved window into California’s past — a time before the sprawling grasslands of the Central Valley were overtaken by agriculture and development.

Now, those environmentalists are voicing outrage over a May 21 decision by the federal Bureau of Land Management to allow an oil well and pipeline project within the monument.

At a moment when oil prices are still reeling from a sharp decline, conservationists say the decision to open a new well is as puzzling as it is galling."

Hayley Smith reports for the Los Angeles Times June 18, 2020.