Innovative Techniques in Permit Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement

The development of offshore petroleum resources has brought extensive onshore industrial development to Santa Barbara County. The County's chief mechanism for requiring project changes and mitigations is the package of conditions attached to each project approval. Without the ability to impose such conditions, the County could not approve the projects consistent with its policies, ordinances, regulations, and the California Environmental Quality Act. To ensure compliance with the numerous County regulations and permit conditions, the County has developed new approaches to monitoring permit compliance. These approaches range from onsite monitoring during construction, comprehensive reporting requirements during operations and the use of a multi-departmental committee to oversee these programs.