WHITTIER, Calif., July 28, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Matrix Oil is pleased to report that the Whittier City Council received important testimony Tuesday night from recognized experts regarding the City's right to recover oil and gas from the Preserve. Two separate reports were submitted regarding the Whittier Main Field Oil Project and Proposition A, the Los Angeles County ballot measure that allowed Whittier to purchase the land for the Preserve.
Esther Feldman, a leading environmentalist and the author of Proposition A, gave her analysis regarding the City's right to extract oil from the Preserve. She concluded that: "Proposition A's intent and goals can be preserved and that the proposed oil and gas project can be carried out in a manner that is consistent with Proposition A and its implementing documents."
In addition, Carlyle Hall, Jr., one of California's foremost legal experts on environmental law and land use, submitted his own report which stated emphatically that Whittier has the right to lease land for oil and gas extraction. He found that, "Longstanding California Real Estate law principles governing the use of lands for public use give Whittier the legal right to extract oil and gas underlying the subject property, so long as, the proposed surface activities do not materially interfere with the public's use of the parkland."
"These two reports from independent experts put to rest questions regarding the City's right to use a small area in the Preserve for greater public benefit. The Whittier Main Field Oil Project has been designed to ensure minimal disruption and to conform to existing environmental law and land use," said Mike McCaskey, Executive Vice-President of Matrix Oil, after the meeting.
Matrix looks forward to successfully moving through the next stages in the environmental review and public hearings.