[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING KERN RIVER OIL FIELD'S TWO BILLIONTH BARREL OF OIL PRODUCED

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2007

  Mr. McCarthy of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
an important milestone achieved in oil production in my district as the 
Kern River Oil Field recently produced its two billionth barrel of oil.
  Over 100 years ago in 1899, ``black gold'' was discovered at Kern 
River when a father-son team hand-dug a 45 foot deep discovery well. 
This oil discovery set off a boom in Kern County leading to population 
growth and the discovery of more and more oil fields in the region. In 
1903, Kern River, in addition to other oil fields discovered at the 
turn of the region, made California the top oil-producing state in the 
Union. In fact, in 1904, Kern River produced more than 17.2 million 
barrels of oil, which, at that time, was more oil produced than in the 
entire State of Texas.
  In the early 1900's, oil production peaked at nearly 50,000 barrels 
per day, and then decreased to an average of about 10,000 barrels per 
day. However, due to human ingenuity, hard work, the advent of the 
steam injection (or ``steamflooding'') oil production process in the 
early 1960's, and cogeneration in the 1980's, today, Kern River 
produces approximately 82,000 barrels of oil per day.
  With its production of the two billionth barrel of oil, Kern River 
joins only two other fields in a select, elite class of oil fields in 
California that have produced over two billion barrels of oil. Just to 
put this into perspective. two billion barrels of oil, once refined, on 
average, yields more than 43 billion gallons of gasoline. Subsequently, 
the Kern River Oil Field is the fourth largest field in the lower 
United States, the third largest field in California, and the second 
largest field in Kern County.
  Today, Chevron North America Exploration and Production owns and 
produces nearly all of the oil at Kern River. A vital economic backbone 
of Kern County, Chevron at Kern River employs more than 345 individuals 
and has upwards of 800 contractors working at the field, and creates 
countless secondary and tertiary oil and non-oil related jobs in the 
community. In addition. Chevron at Kern River contributes more than $24 
million in property taxes to the County of Kern on an annual basis, and 
is a community leader in supporting various education and charitable 
causes.
  Kern River is a heavy crude oil field, meaning the oil is a thick, 
viscous liquid that needs to be heated and pumped out of the ground. 
Generally, primary heavy oil recovery extracts between 5-10 percent of 
the oil from the ground, while hot waterflood recovery processes 
increase that recovery rate to between 15-25 percent. Yet, the 
steamflood recovery process can increase recovery rates to 50-80 
percent. With the steamflood technological recovery advances of Chevron 
at Kern River. Chevron has been able to maximize production of the vast 
oil reserves of this field and has extended the life of this field for 
decades.

  As a leader in heavy oil production, Chevron has established an 
International Heavy Oil Center at Kern River in order to 
collaboratively develop and deploy heavy oil production technologies 
worldwide, as well as to become a hub for heavy oil development. These 
technological advances developed at Kern River, as well as at other 
fields, will increase the ability of the industry to maximize the 
Earth's oil reserves' potential and help satisfy our energy demands.
  What started out in 1899 as one hand-dug well, Kern River has 
developed into one of the largest oil fields in the United States with 
more than 9,000 producing oil wells. Again, I rise today to recognize 
the importance of Kern River producing its two billionth barrel of oil 
and to join with Chevron in celebrating this milestone. I look forward 
to continued production at this field for many years to come.

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