Kern County finds economic opportunity beyond oil and gas production in ‘carbon management business park’

Kern County’s economy in central California has historically been focused on agriculture and oil and gas production, which is in decline due to the state’s limited water resources and energy transition efforts. As a result, many Kern County residents face challenges like unemployment, low wages and disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards and pollutants. But over the past 15 years, Kern County has become a renewable energy hub in California, with more than 20,000 megawatts of wind, solar and battery storage.

To address community challenges related to the climate and energy transition, the Kern County Department of Planning and Natural Resources has partnered with the Communities Local Energy Action Program (Communities LEAP) pilot program.

Lorelei H. Oviatt, director of the Kern County Planning and Natural Resources Department, and other county officials wanted to explore the idea of ​​a private-sector business park on former farmland and other degraded land near carbon capture and storage (CCS) sites — but miles from community centers. The goal of such a park would be to attract and streamline permitting for new carbon capture and clean energy companies that could help meet California’s emissions reduction goals, create jobs for residents and generate new tax revenue for the county.

Without the technical expertise of Communities LEAP and their science education subcontractor, Blue Engine, this theoretical “Carbon Management Business Park” was little more than an idea.

With support from Communities LEAP, the County conducted an analysis of each carbon management, process, and clean energy technology—examining how it works, potential job creation, environmental justice issues, benefits to Kern County, environmental impacts, and more. Key community stakeholders were invited to provide input into the analysis during a public forum, and the Communities LEAP technical assistance team provided technical information on industries of interest, including direct air capture, biomass carbon removal and storage, carbon capture at carbon dioxide (CO2) emitting facilities, green hydrogen, energy storage, water treatment, CO2 pipelines and transportation, and CO2-intensive industries.

An interactive website was then created with technical and economic information on the various carbon capture industries that could utilize Kern’s underground resources for permanent CO2 storage. The interactive Carbon Management Business Park website is intended to detail the carbon management and clean energy industries that could be located in Kern County, as well as the potential benefits and impacts if the Carbon Management Business Park (CMBP) were to be located in Kern County.