September 25, 2024
By Ramona Cornell du Houx
Unincorporated LA County, CA – Governor Gavin Newsom on September 25 signed three bills into law allowing communities to restrict oil drilling and help the state address polluting idle wells.
Surrounded by oil wells in the Inglewood Oil field, Governor Newsom signed legislation, AB 2716 (Bryan), to shut down 600 wells. The second bill, AB 3233 (Addis), will protect Los Angeles’s ordinances against oil drilling from judicial assault. The third, AB 1866 (Hart), will prioritize the plugging of idle wells.
“The health of our communities always comes first. These new laws allow local leaders to limit dangerous oil and gas activities near homes, schools, and other areas as they see fit for their communities, and give the state more tools to make sure that idle and low-producing wells get plugged sooner. This builds off of our all-of-the-above efforts to protect communities from pollution and hold Big Oil accountable,” said Governor Gavin Newsom at the bill signing.
The legislation will help protect public health, the environment, and empower local communities to set greater protections around oil and gas activities in their neighborhoods.
The 1,000 acre Inglewood Oil Field has 835 unplugged wells, including 655 that are actively pumping oil, according to state data. More than 400 of those wells produce less than 15 barrels a day. Part of the oil field is within the limits of Culver City. In 2023, Sentinel Peak Resources – the oil company that runs the wells – signed an agreement with Culver city to ban oil drilling in the city’s portion of the oil field and seal its 38 wells by 2030.
Photo: Former Culver City Mayor Meghan Sahi-Wells, Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA ) California Director speaks to Gov. Newsom after the bills were signed. Sahi-Wells was instrumental in stopping drilling operations on Culver City’s portion of the Inglewood oil field, setting a precedent for other communities.
“Our work towards environmental justice for all has taken deep steps today with the signing of these bills to protect communities from the dangerous toxins produced by fossil fuel extraction in California. Since 2017 we’ve been working with thousands of elected officials from across the state to ensure safety set back laws, plugging idle wells, stopping fracking, ending new permits – amongst other measures on our road to a clean energy economy,” said Ramona du Houx, Elected Officials to Protect America Communications Director. “That economy is a future fueled by clean energy produced with offshore wind, solar, land based wind and hydrogen. A future with equal opportunity for all to breathe fresh air and drink clean water.”
The three new laws:
Empowering local communities to restrict oil and gas operations
AB 3233 by Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) gives cities and counties greater authority to impose restrictions on oil and gas operations, including by limiting or prohibiting new oil and gas developments in their jurisdictions. By providing local jurisdictions with the power to make these decisions, California is taking a major step toward protecting vulnerable communities from the health impacts of industrial operations. The bill overrides recent court decisions that blocked ordinances limiting oil drilling adopted by the voters of Monterey County and the Los Angeles City Council.
“The signing of AB 3233 is vital win for communities across the Central Coast, and all of California,” said Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay). “Putting this bill into law affirms our right to clean air and water, free of oil and gas pollution. I’m thankful to Governor Gavin Newsom for signing this important bill into law, to my colleagues for helping me get it to his desk, and to the many community-members and leaders who have been fighting this battle with me. Today is a huge win for the well-being of all Californians.”
Addressing the dangers of idle wells in communities
AB 1866 by Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) addresses the growing problem of idle oil and gas wells across the state. These wells, which are no longer in active use but have not been properly decommissioned, pose a significant risk to both the environment and nearby communities. Under this new law, fees on idle wells are increased and stricter regulations will be enforced to ensure that oil companies are held responsible for maintaining and safely plugging idle wells, preventing leaks and contamination.
“This is a landmark victory for taxpayers and communities most affected by the harmful health impacts of neighborhood oil drilling,“ said Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara). “I am proud of this decisive action we are taking today to hold the oil industry responsible for plugging over 40,000 idle oil wells across California. I want to thank Governor Newsom for recognizing the urgency of solving the idle oil well crisis in the state.”
Shutting down more oil wells in the Inglewood Oil Field
AB 2716 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) prohibits the operation of low-oil production oil and gas wells located in an oil field within the Baldwin Hills Conservancy (Inglewood Oil Field) and imposes a $10,000 per month penalty on these wells until they are permanently plugged and abandoned. Penalty funds will go to projects like park creation to benefit the community.
“The Inglewood Oil Field is the largest urban oil field in our state. Production in recent years has been marginal, but for decades the negative health impacts surrounding it have cost the nearby community with their life expectancy,” said Assemblymember Bryan. “Today, with Governor Newsom’s signature, we will finally shut it down and establish the state’s first repair fund for the frontline communities who have been organizing for years to be seen, heard, and protected.”
Together, these laws mark another step forward in California’s ongoing efforts to cut pollution and protect communities.
“Governor Newsom used his power to protect Angelenos from the toxic harm of oil wells,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, the sponsor of AB 2716. “Kids should not be playing soccer and going to school within yards of oil wells. California is once again leading the way in protecting communities from the harmful impact of oil drilling. Since the wells are producing so little oil, on average three barrels per day, there is no economic reason to keep them open and endanger the lives of children and families who live around them. Newsom’s signature on AB 3233 is a vote for local control over oil drilling and strikes back against a recent, wrong-headed ruling that struck down LA’s oil drilling ban.”
In August, Governor Newsom announced a plan to further hold Big Oil accountable for profiting off of Californians while polluting our communities – preventing gas price spikes and saving people money at the pump.
The state notched a major victory against Big Oil in June, with the industry pulling its referendum to repeal California’s law protecting neighborhoods from the dangerous impacts of drilling. This allowed California’s law requiring setbacks – that oil drilling can’t be within 3,200 feet of sensitive community areas like schools, daycares, and more – to move forward, a crucial protection for public health and safety.
Last year, California sued Big Oil for more than 50 years of deception, cover-up, and damage that have cost California taxpayers billions of dollars in health and environmental impacts.