California plan to ban community oil drilling far from final
3 years, 2 months ago

California plan to ban community oil drilling far from final

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Environmental groups were cautiously optimistic about California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to ban new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of schools and homes, but the oil industry and labor allies warned the plan would raise California energy prices and potentially bring political consequences for the governor. In a statement, Juan Flores, a community organizer with the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, said the plan “misses the chance to prohibit new permits for existing wells, a key element for our communities.” On the other side, the Western States Petroleum Association, an oil and gas lobbying group, and the State Building and Construction Trades Council, a union, warned the rule would make energy less reliable in California, forcing the state to buy more oil from other nations and leading to a spike in prices. The rules were proposed by the California Geologic Energy Management Division, known as CalGEM, which regulates the state’s oil industry and issues drilling permits. Environmental advocates say they will be closely watching the process to make sure the final rules protect people living near drilling sites and, if the rule takes effect, that state regulators actually enforce it.

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History of this topic

Editorial: Delay California’s oil drilling protections until 2031? No way
4 months ago

Editorial: Delay California’s oil drilling protections until 2031? No way

LA Times  

Communities across California, from Los Angeles to the San Joaquin Valley, have fought for more than a decade to stop oil companies from drilling in their neighborhoods and spewing health-damaging pollution into the air. The passage of a landmark state law in 2022 to ban new drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, child care centers and hospitals and establish …

Millions of Californians live near oil and gas wells that are in the path of wildfires
5 months ago

Millions of Californians live near oil and gas wells that are in the path of wildfires

LA Times  

As firefighters continue to battle more than two dozen active wildfires in California, new research has found that millions of people are living close to oil and gas wells that are in the potential path of flames. Of the roughly 118,000 western oil wells in high fire risk areas, 103,878 of them — more than 87% — are in California, …

Editorial: Big Oil lost ballot battle, but will still fight to drill near California homes
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Editorial: Big Oil lost ballot battle, but will still fight to drill near California homes

LA Times  

The oil industry’s recent decision to abandon its effort to repeal California’s neighborhood oil drilling restrictions and pull its referendum from the November ballot is a big relief. When the California Independent Petroleum Assn., the industry lobbying group backing the referendum, announced the withdrawal of the measure last month, it blamed lawmakers, saying that even if its side won and …

Law limiting new oil wells in California set to take effect after industry withdraws referendum
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Law limiting new oil wells in California set to take effect after industry withdraws referendum

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A California law that bans …

Law limiting new oil wells in California set to take effect after industry withdraws referendum
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Law limiting new oil wells in California set to take effect after industry withdraws referendum

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California law that bans drilling new oil wells near places like homes and schools will take effect after the oil industry on Thursday withdrew a referendum from the November ballot asking voters to overturn it. In asking voters to block the law, the oil industry’s strategy was to portray it as an “energy shutdown.” The argument …

Fossil fuel industry drops California ballot measure that aimed to undo drilling regulations
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Fossil fuel industry drops California ballot measure that aimed to undo drilling regulations

LA Times  

After dedicating more than $25 million toward canvassing and political ads, California’s oil and gas industry announced it will withdraw a hotly contested referendum from the November ballot that sought to remove restrictions on drilling near homes and schools. announced this week that its members will abandon their expensive push to overturn Senate Bill 1137, a 2022 state law that …

California lawmakers reject proposal to curb well-drilling where nearby wells could run dry
6 months ago

California lawmakers reject proposal to curb well-drilling where nearby wells could run dry

LA Times  

Over the past several years, California’s water managers have seen a pattern emerge in farming areas of the Central Valley: Even as declining groundwater levels have left thousands of residents with dry wells and caused the ground to sink, counties have continued granting permits for agricultural landowners to drill new wells and pump even more water. In a recent report …

California’s effort to plug abandoned, chemical-spewing oil wells gets $35-million boost
7 months ago

California’s effort to plug abandoned, chemical-spewing oil wells gets $35-million boost

LA Times  

California will receive more than $35 million in federal funding to help address the scourge of abandoned oil wells that are leaking dangerous chemicals and planet-warming methane in areas across the state, including many in Los Angeles. The investment from the Biden-Harris administration is among the “largest ever in American history to address legacy pollution,” U.S. Secretary of the Interior …

California governor, celebrities and activists launch campaign to protect law limiting oil wells
9 months ago

California governor, celebrities and activists launch campaign to protect law limiting oil wells

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jane Fonda joined California Gov. Gavin Newsom and environmental advocates in Los Angeles on Friday to launch a campaign to keep a 2022 law banning new oil and gas wells near homes, schools and hospitals. At a Los Angeles park with an oil pump jack in the background behind him, Newsom said keeping …

Editorial: California can’t let big polluters win by undermining climate change disclosure laws
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Editorial: California can’t let big polluters win by undermining climate change disclosure laws

LA Times  

California took a big step last fall when lawmakers passed a pair of laws requiring big companies doing business in the state to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related risks, shining a light on their role in fueling the climate crisis. Opinion Editorial: California’s lawsuit against Big Oil could help end decades of climate lies California’s climate lawsuit against …

California lawmakers have a plan to plug old, vapor-spewing oil wells. Could it backfire?
1 year, 2 months ago

California lawmakers have a plan to plug old, vapor-spewing oil wells. Could it backfire?

LA Times  

As flammable gases and toxic fumes seep from thousands of abandoned oil wells across California, state legislators passed a bill last month that would require owners to set aside more funding to properly seal wells once their use has ended. If the bill is signed into law, the California Department of Conservation, the state agency overseeing oil and gas extraction, …

California high court says county can’t enforce oil well ban as state debates future of fossil fuels
1 year, 4 months ago

California high court says county can’t enforce oil well ban as state debates future of fossil fuels

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Monterey County cannot enforce a voter-approved ban on new oil and gas wells, a decision that comes amid an ongoing battle over how the state should address the health and climate impacts of fossil fuel extraction. “We need to really pressure legislators to develop better regulations to ban new oil …

California will cap hundreds of orphaned oil wells, some long suspected of causing illness
1 year, 5 months ago

California will cap hundreds of orphaned oil wells, some long suspected of causing illness

LA Times  

An idle AllenCo Energy drill site near USC was “deserted” by the company, state regulators said three years ago, ordering AllenCo to plug the site’s 21 wells. California state regulators announced Tuesday their plans to cap orphaned oil wells across the state, including wells in a South Central Los Angeles residential neighborhood near USC that caused health complaints from residents …

California lawmakers block bill making oil companies liable for some health problems
1 year, 7 months ago

California lawmakers block bill making oil companies liable for some health problems

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers blocked two big environmental bills Thursday: One that would have ramped up the state’s emissions targets, and another that would have made oil companies liable for the health problems of people who live close to oil wells. They decided if the oil industry wanted to block that law, then they would try to pass another …

Environmental group sues to block oil wells near California homes
1 year, 7 months ago

Environmental group sues to block oil wells near California homes

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An environmental group sued Thursday to block nearly two dozen new permits for oil and gas wells in California, arguing Gov. A lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity says the California Geologic Energy Management Division in December approved 15 new oil and gas wells in Long Beach. But in the first three months of 2023, …

Opinion: I grew up next to an L.A. oil well. California can protect others from what I went through
1 year, 8 months ago

Opinion: I grew up next to an L.A. oil well. California can protect others from what I went through

LA Times  

Apartment buildings behind pump jacks at the Inglewood Oil Field. A bill up for its first committee hearing Tuesday would help hold oil drillers legally responsible for the harms they cause by drilling so close to where people live. Scientific evidence cited in the record supporting the setback legislation shows that living near oil and gas production increases the risk …

Editorial: We’re cementing climate denial with every fossil fuel project
1 year, 9 months ago

Editorial: We’re cementing climate denial with every fossil fuel project

LA Times  

A coal-fired power plant in Germany. A United Nations climate report warns that global warming is on track to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius by the early 2030s without swift reductions in greenhouse gas pollution. The U.N’s scientific assessment, approved by 195 nations, says that existing and planned fossil fuel infrastructure — all of the coal-fired power plants, oil wells and …

Editorial: Oil companies spent millions to keep drilling in neighborhoods. California shouldn’t let them
1 year, 10 months ago

Editorial: Oil companies spent millions to keep drilling in neighborhoods. California shouldn’t let them

LA Times  

Homes are seen behind an oil pumpjack at the Wilmington Athletic Complex in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles. The oil industry spent $20 million on a misleading campaign to overturn a new California law that bans new drilling within 3,200 feet of homes and schools — and it’s paying off. But there is really nothing preventing California’s state oil …

New California oil well ban put on hold for voters to decide
1 year, 10 months ago

New California oil well ban put on hold for voters to decide

LA Times  

A pump station sits idle near homes in Arvin, Calif., where toxic fumes from a nearby well made residents sick and forced evacuations. California’s new law banning new oil and gas wells near homes, schools and other community sites has been put on hold until after voters decide next year whether to throw it out, officials announced Friday. Opponents of …

Editorial: Gov. Newsom has the power to stop oil companies’ dishonest ploy to keep drilling
2 years ago

Editorial: Gov. Newsom has the power to stop oil companies’ dishonest ploy to keep drilling

LA Times  

The oil industry is making headway in its misleading campaign to overturn a new state law and continue the dangerous and unhealthy practice of drilling in neighborhoods. Senate Bill 1137, which bans new oil and gas wells, or reworks of existing wells, within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, parks and healthcare facilities to protect people from air pollution and safety …

Push to repeal California anti-oil law inches closer to goal
2 years ago

Push to repeal California anti-oil law inches closer to goal

Associated Press  

A California law that prohibits new oil and gas wells from being drilled near homes, schools and hospitals could face a referendum in the 2024 election. Stop the Energy Shutdown, a campaign organized by oil and gas industry groups, said Tuesday it has collected enough signatures for a referendum to overturn SB 1137, the law that banned new oil and …

With California battered by high gas prices, Newsom wants to penalize big oil companies
2 years ago

With California battered by high gas prices, Newsom wants to penalize big oil companies

LA Times  

The Legislature opens the special session Monday to consider approving penalties on oil companies that make excessive profits. Newsom has accused the oil industry of intentionally “price gouging” consumers at the pump as retribution for the state’s policies to phase out dependence on fossil fuels in an effort to curb climate change. Though Newsom first called for “a windfall tax …

Los Angeles City Council votes to ban oil and gas drilling
2 years ago

Los Angeles City Council votes to ban oil and gas drilling

Associated Press  

__ The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on Friday to ban drilling of new oil and gas wells and phase out existing ones over the next 20 years. “Hundreds of thousands of Angelenos have had to raise their kids, go to work, prepare their meals go to neighborhood parks in the shadows of oil and gas production,” said Los …

Editorial: Oil drillers want to overturn California’s new health protections. Don’t let them
2 years, 2 months ago

Editorial: Oil drillers want to overturn California’s new health protections. Don’t let them

LA Times  

You might soon be approached outside your grocery store by signature gatherers urging you to sign a petition about lowering gas prices or stopping a so-called “energy shutdown.” Here’s what it’s really about, and why Californians shouldn’t sign it. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1137, which bans new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of homes and schools to …

California lawmakers OK buffer zones between new oil wells and homes, schools
2 years, 3 months ago

California lawmakers OK buffer zones between new oil wells and homes, schools

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom tours an area of Wilmington in October where pump jacks are close to homes. After years of failed attempts to impose health and safety buffer zones around new oil and gas wells in California, state lawmakers on Wednesday sent a bill to the governor that would require setbacks between those production sites and residential neighborhoods and other sensitive …

Amid fight with oil industry, Newsom makes a last-minute pitch to harden California’s climate goals
2 years, 4 months ago

Amid fight with oil industry, Newsom makes a last-minute pitch to harden California’s climate goals

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom speaks with leaders of urban water agencies during a meeting in Sacramento on May 23. Gavin Newsom this week urged California lawmakers to harden the state’s climate and energy goals, releasing a five-point legislative plan that promises to intensify the governor’s clash with the state’s powerful, billion-dollar oil industry. York said the battle with the industry group is …

State officials draw fire after approving new oil wells in L.A. neighborhood
2 years, 6 months ago

State officials draw fire after approving new oil wells in L.A. neighborhood

LA Times  

Wilmington residents Guadalupe Diaz, left, and husband Carlos, center, with community organizer Alicia Rivera, join others in demanding the city of Los Angeles take action against oil operator Warren Resources on June 1, 2022. Los Angeles residents and environmental advocates are decrying a decision by state officials to allow new oil drilling in their Harbor-region neighborhood, saying the decision was …

California lawmakers kill plans to ban oil drilling in state-controlled waters
2 years, 7 months ago

California lawmakers kill plans to ban oil drilling in state-controlled waters

LA Times  

Beach cleanup at the Talbert channel entrance to Huntington State Beach in October. Facing fierce opposition from California’s powerful oil industry and trade unions, legislation to close down operations on three offshore oil rigs off the Orange County coast failed Thursday to win passage in a state Senate committee, seven months after a major spill fouled the beaches and wetlands …

Los Angeles City Council approves phaseout of oil drilling
2 years, 10 months ago

Los Angeles City Council approves phaseout of oil drilling

Associated Press  

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a measure to ban new oil and gas wells and phase out existing ones. The council directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance to prohibit oil and gas drilling in Los Angeles, change zoning laws to make drilling illegal and study how to legally phase out existing wells. Martinez, who grew …

Los Angeles moves to end oil drilling in the city
2 years, 10 months ago

Los Angeles moves to end oil drilling in the city

LA Times  

The L.A. City Council voted to ban new oil drilling in the city and work toward phasing out existing wells. The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday took steps intended to phase out oil drilling and gas extraction in the city, moving to address the legacy of environmental and health problems caused by an industry that helped create modern Southern …

EXPLAINER: California proposes limits on community drilling
3 years, 2 months ago

EXPLAINER: California proposes limits on community drilling

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An ambitious plan by California regulators to block new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of schools and homes is drawing protests from the oil industry and plaudits from environmentalists, who still want the state to go further. It adopted as written, the state would stop allowing new oil and gas wells to be drilled within …

California proposes new oil drilling ban near neighborhoods
3 years, 2 months ago

California proposes new oil drilling ban near neighborhoods

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s oil and gas regulator on Thursday proposed that the state ban new oil and gas drilling within 3,200 feet of schools, homes and hospitals to protect public health in what would be the nation’s largest buffer zone between oil wells and communities. “Frontline community members have spoken in a clear voice, demanding an end to neighborhood …

New California oil drilling must be set back from homes and schools, Newsom says
3 years, 2 months ago

New California oil drilling must be set back from homes and schools, Newsom says

LA Times  

An oil pump jack next to homes in Huntington Beach. The Newsom administration on Thursday took the first step toward banning new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of homes, schools and healthcare facilities, and requiring emissions monitoring of existing wells within those buffer zones, a move urged by environmental and public health advocates who say the toxins, odors …

California oil spill renews calls to ban offshore drilling
3 years, 2 months ago

California oil spill renews calls to ban offshore drilling

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California has been a leader in restricting offshore oil drilling since the infamous 1969 Santa Barbara spill that sparked the modern environmental movement, and the latest spill off Huntington Beach is prompting fresh calls for an end to such drilling. “The deeper question is how do you transition and still protect the workforce?” Today, there are 19 …

Governor Says Offshore Drilling ‘Part Of Our Past’ After California Oil Spill
3 years, 2 months ago

Governor Says Offshore Drilling ‘Part Of Our Past’ After California Oil Spill

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed Tuesday to vehemently oppose any new drilling in federal waters off the state’s coastline following a large oil spill that fouled some of the nation’s most iconic beaches last weekend. Newsom declared a state of emergency in Southern California’s Orange County late Monday and said investigators would work quickly to determine how …

Regardless of Newsom’s motive, bid to end California oil production is a game-changer
3 years, 7 months ago

Regardless of Newsom’s motive, bid to end California oil production is a game-changer

LA Times  

The majority of California’s oil and gas production is centered in Kern County. Gavin Newsom’s recently announced phaseout of fracking and desire to end all California oil production. It also reasserts California’s governor — whether it’s Newsom, Jerry Brown or Arnold Schwarzenegger — as the nation’s leading state executive in fighting climate change. California Newsom bans new California fracking permits …

California governor seeks ban on new fracking by 2024
3 years, 8 months ago

California governor seeks ban on new fracking by 2024

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday said California will stop issuing fracking permits by 2024 and halt all oil drilling by 2045, using his authority to take on the state’s powerful oil and gas industry in a year he will likely face voters in a recall election. But, when it became clear that wouldn’t happen, Crowfoot said Newsom …

Newsom bans new California fracking permits starting in 2024
3 years, 8 months ago

Newsom bans new California fracking permits starting in 2024

LA Times  

Oil wells just north of the town of McKittrick in Kern County. The statewide ban on new fracking permits will be imposed administratively in 2024 by the state Department of Conservation, which regulates California’s oil and gas industry, giving the agency time to draft the new mandate. The governor’s office said that plan would dovetail with California’s effort to achieve …

Fracking ban fails to advance in California Legislature
3 years, 8 months ago

Fracking ban fails to advance in California Legislature

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers Tuesday rejected a bill that would have banned fracking in the state, succumbing to pressure from the powerful oil and gas industry and their labor union allies who warned the bill would have cost good-paying jobs. “There is a large stain on California’s climate record, and that is oil,” Wiener said during a committee hearing …

Ambitious plan to ban California fracking falls short in Legislature
3 years, 8 months ago

Ambitious plan to ban California fracking falls short in Legislature

LA Times  

A far-reaching proposal to outlaw hydraulic fracturing and ban oil and gas wells from operating near homes, schools and healthcare facilities failed in the California Legislature on Tuesday, a major setback for progressive leaders who hail the state as the nation’s bellwether on environmental protection. After the vote, Hertzberg said he supported California’s efforts to wean itself from fossil fuels …

Newsom asked for a fracking ban. He may get more than he bargained for with ambitious plan
3 years, 8 months ago

Newsom asked for a fracking ban. He may get more than he bargained for with ambitious plan

LA Times  

California’s billion-dollar oil industry has so far largely remained on the sidelines during the campaign to recall Gov. “It’s one way of essentially shutting down activity and so I worry that, not just for the fracking bill, but that everything is going to be hard to get done this year.” Even though they are at odds over oil drilling in …

Can California ban fracking? Newsom’s bold plan to fight climate change faces skepticism
4 years, 2 months ago

Can California ban fracking? Newsom’s bold plan to fight climate change faces skepticism

LA Times  

On the hood of an electric car, California Gov. “I’ve seen bills that do way less related to oil die in the Legislature.” The call to ban fracking left some questioning whether the intent of the well-timed move by a governor with a taste for big promises was to draw national headlines or to launch a political dogfight in Sacramento …

Environmentalists plan lawsuit challenging Newsom over oil and gas drilling permits
4 years, 3 months ago

Environmentalists plan lawsuit challenging Newsom over oil and gas drilling permits

LA Times  

A national environmental organization on Monday threatened to sue Gov. In a letter sent to Newsom on Monday, the Center for Biological Diversity accused his administration of being friendly to California’s oil industry and issuing new permits without proper environmental reviews. The organization plans to take legal action unless the Democratic governor “promptly direct your regulators to halt permitting.” “We …

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