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California oil regulator leaves job amid drilling fight

Amid a statewide battle over the future of fossil fuels, Uduak-Joe Ntuk stepped down last week as California’s top oil and gas regulator after three years in the job, state officials confirmed Wednesday. “We are deeply thankful for Mr. Ntuk’s service and contributions to CalGEM and the state these last three years,” said David Shabazian, director of the Department of …

Oil Drilling

‘A parallel Hollywood story’: How L.A.’s oil boom shaped the city we know today

Firefighters lay hoses to protect homes from an oil well fire in Santa Fe Springs in 1928. “Oil, motion pictures and real estate were like the trifecta of forces that were attracting migrants to come west to L.A.,” said Becky Nicolaides, a research affiliate at USC and UCLA. “A lot of the people came to Los Angeles during the big …

Oil

L.A. hasn’t launched new inspections for oil sites years after council backed plan

The Allenco drill site in University Park, shown in 2019. Councilman Paul Krekorian said that L.A. would not face costly liability if the phaseout included a “reasonable amortization period.” The California Independent Petroleum Assn., which represents oil producers, has insisted such a move would still be “an illegal taking.” As city officials weigh that plan, the petroleum office has shrunk …

Deserted oil wells haunt Los Angeles with toxic fumes and enormous cleanup costs

Near downtown Los Angeles, a developer is building dozens of apartments in Echo Park on property that contains deserted oil wells, some of them uncapped. Battalion Chief James Hayden, whose responsibilities include the Los Angeles Fire Department’s oil and gas program, acknowledged that the city hadn’t provided adequate oversight of the industry. “It’s about shortsightedness.” The AllenCo Energy Inc. drill …

L.A. needs to be more proactive on checking oil sites, city controller says

A reciprocating piston pump, commonly known as a pumpjack or rocking horse, pulls oil from the ground in a Wilmington neighborhood. Los Angeles has had a “lax and reactive” approach to checking to see if oil and gas drilling sites are operating in line with city conditions, City Controller Ron Galperin said in a new report Wednesday that calls on …

Oil Sites