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By Christine De La Cruz / Friday, January 3rd, 2014 / Agribusiness, Central Coast, East Ventura County, Green Coast, South Coast, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy, West Ventura County, Wine & Viticulture / Comments Off on Strawberries top tri-county farming forecast in 2014
Strawberries remain the largest piece of the pie in the Tri-Counties’ multibillion-dollar agriculture industry, but there will be slightly less acreage in the New Year.
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By Henry Dubroff / Friday, December 13th, 2013 / Columns, Opinion / Comments Off on A speed bump on the way to creating a chamber-led vitality group
The most concentrated effort to date to create a Santa Barbara County economic vitality organization has hit a roadblock. And that roadblock appears to be the Board of Supervisors’ bitterly divided vote on the Santa Maria Energy project, where South County supervisors banded together to impose severe carbon emissions limits on an innovative onshore oil and gas development that had broad support in North County.
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By Stephen Nellis / Friday, December 13th, 2013 / Central Coast, South Coast, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on Outside funds fuel county’s energy boom
Santa Maria Energy’s deal to go public and bring its total funds raised to date to an estimated $90 million caps a flurry of renewed investment and activity in Santa Barbara County’s oil fields, both onshore and offshore. In addition to 136 wells that Santa Maria Energy has planned, Denver-based Venoco has proposals before regulators Read More →
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By Mary Ann Norbom / Friday, December 6th, 2013 / Small Business, Tourism, Wine & Viticulture, Women Inc. / Comments Off on The maverick of the valley: New Vintners’ chief has bold plan for Santa Barbara wine country
Morgen McLaughlin believes that some of the best wines in the in the world are being produced in Santa Barbara County, but that message hasn’t been getting out to consumers or the media.
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By Editorial Board / Friday, November 22nd, 2013 / Editorials, Opinion / Comments Off on Editorial: SB County oil cap vote is a slap in Santa Maria’s face
Santa Barbara County has slammed the door on the fingers of the Santa Maria Energy project — but not taken a stand that shuts that door completely. The approach has been, ‘If we can’t block it, we’ll regulate it in to nonprofitability.’
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By Stephen Nellis / Friday, November 22nd, 2013 / Central Coast, Real Estate, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on Emissions cap prompts oil firm backlash
Santa Barbara County’s decision to impose a strict cap on carbon emissions from a proposed oil project puts the county at a competitive disadvantage in California and likely will cut into the money energy firms pump into the regional economy.
The Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Nov. 12 to require Santa Maria Energy to cap its carbon emissions at 10,000 tons per year. Santa Maria Energy had proposed 136 wells for a site near Orcutt.
Santa Barbara County’s oil is thick and viscous. In order to extract it, companies inject steam into wells to soften the oil. Burning natural gas to create the steam is what generates the bulk of carbon emissions.
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By Editorial Board / Friday, November 8th, 2013 / Editorials, Opinion / Comments Off on Editorial: Santa Barbara County needs to think of its future
Santa Barbara County is edging closer to an economic development strategy. At least that was our takeaway after sitting in on the “Morality of Prosperity,” the name for this year’s action summit put on by the Santa Barbara County Technology & Industry Association.
