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Boxer reiterates call for oil facility to suspend operations
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) renewed her call on Friday for the operator of an oil and gas pumping facility in University Park to suspend operations while the Environmental Protection Agency investigates claims that fumes from the site are making local residents sick.
In 2010, the operator, AllenCo, more than quadrupled its oil production at the location. Residents say that noxious fumes are causing them respiratory ailments, headaches, nausea and nosebleeds. AllenCo did not responded to requests for comment.
Boxer sent a letter on Friday to AllenCo, reiterating her request for an immediate suspension of operations at the site. It came a week after her first letter to the company and after she visited the neighborhood and promised community members that she'd do everything in her power to protect their health.
In the second letter, Boxer wrote that she has yet to receive a response from the company to her initial request. A spokesperson for Boxer says the senator intends to keep focusing on the issue.