Press Play with Madeleine Brand
A Look at The Other Side of the Pump in Kern County
Oil prices hit a six-year low today, falling below $44 a barrel. That’s great news for L.A. drivers; all over town, gas is less than $3 a gallon. But tumbling prices have devastated California’s oil towns.
By Madeleine Brand • • 1 min readOil prices hit a six-year low today, falling below $44 a barrel. That’s great news for L.A. drivers; all over town, gas is less than $3 a gallon. But tumbling prices have devastated California’s oil towns. Kern County, which produces most of the state’s crude oil, declared a state of fiscal emergency this week because of an estimated $61 million in lost tax revenue from oil properties. We talk to two people who’ve been personally affected - both laid-off rig consultants - about that it’s like and what they’ll do next.
