Law made in California to fight gas pollution, fossil fuel cars will be shut down like this
Governor Gavin Newsom of California recently signed legislation to reduce oil and gas pollution. It is the Democratic Party's most recent move in its ongoing fight against fossil fuel use and its effects on the environment and public health.
The new laws are designed to give local governments more power to restrict oil and gas operations, and close more so-called "idle wells" that are not in use but are not properly sealed and closed. And impose fines on companies operating low-production oil wells in the Inglewood Oil Field near Los Angeles.
Newsom said the law will help hold the oil industry accountable and protect communities from the effects of pollution. When he joined advocates and local officials at a park near the Inglewood Oil Field.
Newsom's decision to sign the bills comes as he battles the oil industry, which he has called "the polluting epicenter of this climate crisis," to try to pass a bill aimed at lowering gas prices at the pump. He has tried to cement California's status as a climate leader during his tenure as governor.
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His administration passed rules to phase out fossil-fuel-powered lawnmowers, cars, trucks, and trains. The state plans to achieve carbon neutrality, meaning it will remove as much carbon from the atmosphere as it emits, by 2045.
Katherine Reheis-Boyd, president of the Western States Petroleum Association, said the laws signed by Newsom on Wednesday "will increase the burden of entitlements and raise costs for Californians."
"These new laws do nothing to produce more oil in our country. And, in fact, harm jobs while forcing us to import more oil from overseas," he said in a statement. "While the governor can't stop demonizing our industry, the truth is we also prioritize community and worker safety," he added.
Newsom signed a bill into law in 2022 that bans the operations of new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet-a distance of 975 meters-of any school, house, hospital, and any other community landmarks. Then the oil industry qualified a referendum asking voters if they wanted to overturn the law this November. But it opted to pull the measure in June and said they would take the law to court.
One of the new laws Newsom signed instructs the state to fine companies operating low-producing oil wells near Inglewood Oil Field $10,000 a month. The money will go into an account that funds local projects such as building parks and low-income housing. Companies are also supposed to plug and seal all wells at the site by no later than December 31, 2030.
"The Inglewood Oil Field is our state's largest urban oil field," said Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, who represents the city and authored the bill. "Its production has been modest in recent years, but the negative health impacts it has had for decades have impacted the life expectancy of the surrounding community," he said.
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