California legislatures blocked an environmental bill that would have held oil companies liable for the health problems of people who live close to oil wells on Thursday.
The bill, authored by Sen. Lena Gonzalez, would have required oil companies to pay up to $1 million to people who have cancer or other health problems associated with the well.
“Today, we missed a key opportunity to advance legislation that would hold polluters accountable and prevent further harm to families who are just trying to stay healthy and have a better quality of life,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that bans drilling new oil wells within 3,200 feet (975 meters) of sensitive areas like homes and schools. But the law hasn’t taken effect because the oil industry qualified a referendum on the 2024 ballot, asking voters to overturn it.
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks in the rotunda of the California State Capitol in Sacramento, on March 28, 2023. Courtesy of the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
“It’s one thing for Big Oil to make record profits as they rip off Californians at the pump. It’s quite another to push to continue harmful drilling near daycares and schools, and our homes. Greedy oil companies know that drilling results in more kids getting asthma, more children born with birth defects, and more communities exposed to toxic, dangerous chemicals—but they would rather put our health at risk than sacrifice a single cent of their billions in profits,” Newsom said in a statement at the time.
Kayla Karimi, staff attorney at the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, says it’s time for oil companies to take responsibility for the harmful toxins being exposed to neighboring communities.
“Oil and gas wells have plagued our marginalized California communities for far too long, and it is past due for these owners and operators to take responsibility for the health harms they have caused California residents. We strongly believe in Senator Gonzalez’s bill, and we are very disappointed in the Appropriations Committee’s failure to pass SB 556. Our communities deserve to live in an environment that does not give them cancer, pregnancy complications, or respiratory issues, and this bill would have moved us toward that reality,” Karimi said in a statement.
Kara Greene, a spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Association, which opposed the bill, said it would have been unfair to oil and gas companies and done more harm than good.
“The billions of dollars and the fiscal mess that this bill would have caused to the State and local governments from their own liabilities, the fiscal responsibility of inherited wells, and the cost to the court system would be substantial,” Greene said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the Center for Biological Diversity sued California oil regulators for approving new oil and gas wells in Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo counties close to homes, beaches, and important habitats without conducting the required environmental review.
“Rubberstamping new oil drilling sites without proper environmental review continues environmentally racist policies that add to the health harms residents have been facing for years,” Jan Victor Andasan, a community organizer with East Yards Communities for Environmental Justice, said in a statement. “Frontline communities are already overburdened with a multitude of pollution sources in neighborhoods like West Long Beach, from oil production sites to goods-movement operations. People in many working-class Black and Brown communities are simply trying to breathe, and to do that, they need agencies to practice thorough, thoughtful review.”
Liz Jones, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, called oil companies’ actions “illegal.”
“State regulators are neglecting their duty to protect the public from these dangerous oil and gas projects,” Jones said in a statement. “Putting new wells near homes, beaches, and dwindling habitat for wildlife is the exact opposite of public safety. It’s not only outrageous but illegal for CalGEM to approve these wells without a scrap of new environmental review.”
California is also aiming to achieve carbon neutrality, meaning the state will remove as many carbon emissions as it releases by 2045. The state Air Resources Board has approved rules to limit pollution from cars, trucks, lawnmowers, and trains.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Elizabeth Dowell
Author
Elizabeth is a SoCal based reporter covering issues in Los Angeles and throughout the state for The Epoch Times. She is passionate about creating truthful and accurate stories for readers to connect with. When she’s not reporting, she enjoys writing poetry, playing basketball, embarking on new adventures and spending quality time with her family and friends.
