City of los angeles general plan

_________________________________________________________________

CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

II-63

e.g., noise, hazard, spills and visual blight. In addition, the

Department of Water and Power monitors drilling operations to assure

protection of water wells and aquifers. Property owners, including the

city, receive oil production royalties from lands (e.g., city streets)

that lie within oil drilling districts (Exhibit A).

Conservation. Petroleum is a non-renewable resource. Many fields in the

city already are depleted and extraction from them has been

discontinued. Measures related to energy conservation and reducing the

city's reliance on oil are addressed by the general plan Infrastructure

Systems Element. The city also is experimenting with electric battery

vehicles, operates a food container (petroleum product) recycling

program and is exploring other ways to reduce reliance on oil and oil

products and, thereby, to slow the depletion of petroleum resources.

Other considerations. 

Air quality. Oil extracted from the Los Angeles area is heavy in sulfur

and other materials that contribute to air pollution. Therefore, Los

Angeles oil generally is exported because it is unsuitable for

automotive and other local uses, due to potential air quality impacts.

Air quality impacts, including petroleum refining operations, are

regulated under state and federal law.

Safety issues are addressed by the general plan Safety Element.

Conclusion. The city has primary authority over the issuance and

monitoring of land use permits for drilling and drill site restoration.

It has an important role to play in lobbying for state and federal

concerning permitting and activities that are outside the regulatory

authority of the city.

Continuing issues:

N

 Protection of the Santa Monica and San Pedro bays and inland

neighborhoods from potential spills and other hazards potentially

associated with oil drilling, production and transport.

N

 Safe use, storage, transmission and transport.

N

 Drilling, extraction and site restoration that is compatible with

surrounding neighborhoods.

N

 Depletion of nonrenewable petroleum reserves.

---

_________________________________________________________________

CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

II-64

N

 Reliance on imported oil for electrical energy generation, vehicles

and other use which makes the city vulnerable to changes in the

international petroleum markets.

N

 Subsidence.

Resource management (fossil fuels) - petroleum (oil and gas) objective,

policies and programs: For storage, accidental release and containment

of hazardous materials see the Safety Element and the Hazardous

Materials Section of this chapter.

Objective: conserve petroleum resources and enable appropriate,

environmentally sensitive extraction of petroleum deposits located

within the city's jurisdiction so as to protect the petroleum resources

for the use of future generations and to reduce the city's dependency

on imported petroleum and petroleum products.

Policy 1: continue to encourage energy conservation and petroleum

product reuse.

Program 1: public information and energy conservation incentives

programs.

Responsibility: *Department of Water and Power and city

agencies that own and/or operate energy generated 

equipment.

Program 2: petroleum products recycling.

Responsibility: *Bureau of Sanitation and city agencies that

use petroleum fueled and lubricated vehicles and equipment.

Program 3: alternative fuel and energy sources research and use.

Responsibility: *Department of Water and Power in

cooperation with other agencies that produce alternate

energy (e.g., Bureau of Sanitation) and/or operate

facilities that have the capability of being converted to

alternative energy use.

Policy 2: continue to support state and federal bans on drilling in the

Santa Monica Bay and on new drilling along the California coast in

order to protect the San Pedro and Santa Monica bays from potential

spills associated with drilling, extraction and transport operations.

Program: City legislative program.

---

_________________________________________________________________

CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

II-65

Responsibility: *Mayor and *City Council (and City

Legislative Analyst).

Policy 3:  continue to protect neighborhoods from potential accidents

and subsidence associated with drilling, extraction and transport

operations, consistent with California Department of Conservation,

Division of Oil and Gas requirements.

Program: administer and periodically update the city's 'O' Oil

Drilling District provisions.

Responsibility: Office of Administrative and Research

Services and departments of *City Planning, Building and

Safety, Fire and Water and Power.

For related information see:

N

 Hazardous Materials Section (site cleanup);

N

 "Infrastructure Systems Element" (fuel conservation), City of the Los

Angeles General Plan (under preparation);

N

 Ocean Section (ocean ecology, contamination and cleanup);

N

 Resource Management Section: Gas; and

N

 "Safety Element" (hazardous materials and safety), Los Angeles City

General Plan, Los Angeles Department of City Planning, 1996.

SECTION 20: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (FOSSIL FUELS): GAS 

The Southern California Gas Company supplies gas for the city. The city

does not distribute or regulate natural gas, apart from petroleum

extraction activities and gas generated at its landfills, sewage

treatment plants and similar facilities. The same regulatory provisions

that apply to oil generally apply to gas drilling and extraction, with

the city's authority limited to land use and safety. The Department of

Water and Power (DWP) purchases gas for electrical generation, but does

not sell gas to its customers. Through its electrical energy

conservation program it encourages efficient use of natural gas which

is one of its fuel resources for production of electricity. Energy

efficiency results not only in reducing use demand to protect

nonrenewable natural gas resources but reduces energy costs and

contributes to improvement of air quality. The issue of safety relative

to hazardous materials management is addressed by the Hazardous

Materials Section and the general plan Safety Element.

---

_________________________________________________________________

CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

II-66

Secondary local sources of gas. In addition to the potential and known

sources associated with oil deposits, a minor local source of methane

gas is landfills, including city operated landfills. Landfill gas is

generated during the fill decomposition process. Due to the hot, dry

local climate, it takes an estimated 40 years for decomposition to be

completed sufficiently for landfill sites to be converted to public

uses. In the interim, the city recovers the gas and either burns it off

at the site or converts it to electrical energy for sale to electrical

utilities. Methane gas also is produced during the city's sewage

treatment process. It is used to generate electrical energy for the

treatment plants.

Primary distributor/supplies. The Southern California Gas Company

(SCGC) is the largest distributor of natural gas in the nation. It

supplies gas to 4.7 million customers, including 4.5 million

residential customers within the approximately 32,000 square mile area

of southern and central California. The SCGC provides over 937.7

billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas to its southern California

customers. At the present rate of usage, average temperature and

anticipated growth of population and business, the SCGC projects an

increase in demand to 1,033.8 Bcf by the year 2010. An estimated 237

million cubic feet (Mcf) per year will be for Los Angeles city

customers, compared to 155 Mcf feet in 1990. The highest demand occurs

in colder winter months, usually peaking for residential users in

January. Economic and political situations, such as the 1970s oil

embargo, also can affect supply and demand. 

Most of the SCGC gas comes from on- and off-shore production in

California, the San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico and

southwestern Colorado, the Rocky Mountain region of southwestern

Wyoming and from western Canada (primarily the Province of Alberta).

The Permian Basin of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas and the

Anadarko Basin in western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle provide

alternative sources. The gas is distributed through a network of

underground pipelines.

Conservation. Conservation is encouraged by all levels of government.

The California Code of Regulations Title 24 requires energy

conservation measures in new development projects. The California

Environmental Quality Act requires that impacts on nonrenewable energy

resources be considered and that potential significant negative impacts

be mitigated to a level of insignificance. Mitigation measures

typically require development projects to include gas conservation

measures to the satisfaction of the SCGC.

Air quality requirements continue to affect the demand for natural gas.

New federal automotive gasoline fuel specifications (1995) resulted in

---

_________________________________________________________________

CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

II-67

an increase in refinery production. State and federal requirements for

reduction in air pollutants have spurred the development of alternative

low emission fuels for automotive vehicles including development of

vehicles fueled by natural gas and powered by electrical systems. The

first natural gas vehicles were introduced into southern California in

1992. As natural gas vehicles become more reliable, versatile, cost-

efficient, readily available and less expensive to buy and maintain,

demand for natural gas fuel is anticipated to increase significantly.

To encourage efficient use of gas, SCGC provides free information and

consultation to its customers. It provides analyses of homes and

facilities concerning how to reduce energy costs through efficient use

of electrical and natural gas systems, including selection and

financing of energy efficient equipment, building materials and project

design. To low income households SCGC offers to install basic

weatherization measures at no cost.

Industry deregulation. Deregulation of the gas industry has resulted in

an increase in gas providers who compete with the SCGC. It is

anticipated that deregulation of the California electric industry will

result in increased demand for gas used in generation of electrical

energy and will impact gas recovery approaches. For example, enhanced

oil recovery (injection of steam into oil-bearing geologic areas to

enhance extraction by lowering oil viscosity), which has been a

declining technology, is anticipated to continue declining due to

restructuring, resulting in alternate, less costly, fuel sources for

the southern California market.

Conclusion. The city has little regulatory authority over gas

production and distribution, except relative to land use (e.g.,

drilling), safety issues (e.g., storage facilities) and gas that is

produced at wastewater processing facilities and city landfill sites.

It works cooperatively with the SCGC to provide information to the

public regarding energy conservation and safety.

Continuing issues:

N

 Depletion of nonrenewable natural gas resources.

N

 Safe use, storage, transmission and transport of gas.

Resource management (fossil fuels) - petroleum (oil and gas)

objectives, policies and programs: see prior section (oil).

For related information see:

---

_________________________________________________________________

CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

II-68

N

 "Infrastructure Systems Element" (electrical and other city managed

energy resources and conservation), Los Angeles City General Plan

(under preparation);

N

 Hazardous Materials Section;

N

 Resource Management Section: Oil; and

N

 "Safety Element" (hazardous materials), City of the Los Angeles

General Plan, Los Angeles Department of City Planning, 1996.

---

_________________________________________________________________

CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

II-69

---

_________________________________________________________________

CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

EXHIBITS                                                

         

Caveat Exhibit B: the exhibit identifies Open Space Zone (OS) sites

that are of sufficient size, scale or linear extension to qualify as

features of city wide significance. Along with parks they are provided

for purposes of showing the relationship of the sites to Significant

Ecological Areas and other conservation resource areas. The OS Zone

only applies to publicly owned open space.

Exhibit sources and explanatory notes:

1.

Note: only significantly large parcels or geographic areas that

are classified on the Los Angeles City Comprehensive Zoning

Ordinance as 'OS' Open Space Zone, 'O' Oil Drilling District, 'G'

Surface Mining District or 'K' Equinekeeping District are shown

on these exhibits.

2.

Source: "Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program," California

Department of Conservation, 1998.

Note: the site identified is a portion of Pierce College. "Unique

Farmland" is denoted by the state as "Lesser quality soils used

for the production of the state's leading agricultural crops. This

land is usually irrigated, but may include non-irrigated orchards

or vineyards as found in some climatic zones in California. Land

must have been cropped at some time during the two update cycles

prior to the mapping date."

Other lands identified by the Department of Conservation but not

depicted on this exhibit are "Urban and Built Up Land," i.e., land

which is occupied by structures of at least one unit to 1.5 acres

or approximately six structures to a 10-acre parcel and is no

longer primarily in farming use.

3.

Source: "Los Angeles County General Plan Conservation and Open

Space Element," Los Angeles County Regional Planning Department,

1980 (currently under revision).

4.

Source: "The Thomas Guide: Los Angeles County Street Guide and

Directory, 1997 Edition," Thomas Brothers Maps, Los Angeles,

California, 1997.

Note: only significantly large parks are shown.

---

_________________________________________________________________

CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

EXHIBITS-2

5.

Source: "The Los Angeles General Plan Framework: Draft

Environmental Impact Report," City of Los Angeles Planning

Department, January 19, 1996.

Note: relative to "Mineral Resource Zone-2," the MRZ-2 "zone" is

a California State Geologist classification. It denotes an area

in which deposits, in this case sand and gravel, are of

significance to the state.

6.

Source: "Transportation Element of the General Plan," City of Los

Angeles Planning Department, 1999.

Note: the 1999 plan supersedes previously adopted community plans.

Therefore, scenic highways on the 1999 element may differ from

those shown on previously adopted community plans.

[Exhibits A and B, attached.]

---

---

---

---

---

Document Outline

• consvelt_from_DT
• EXHA
• EXHB1
• EXHB2
• EXHB3