Holding the California Oil Industry Accountable

Across the state of California, the oil industry has left behind an estimated 40,000 idle oil wells. These unplugged wells are leaking planet-warming methane and dangerous chemicals like benzene — and all of that air pollution is drifting into local communities, harming their health. 

In Los Angeles County’s Inglewood Oil Field there are 835 unplugged wells — and nearly half of them produce less than 15 barrels of oil a day. Oil production in recent years has been marginal; however, the health impacts have been inflicted for decades. Nearby communities are paying the cost with their life expectancies.

Right now, the cost of repairing the 40,000 unplugged wells could run as high as $23 billion — and taxpayers are the ones that could be on the hook if oil companies fail to take responsibility. Of course, oil companies are not cleaning up the mess they created. Industry also challenged the efforts of local governments to regulate drilling to protect communities, even securing  a court decision to stop a county ban on new drilling. 

To protect local communities and actually hold the oil companies responsible, three bills were introduced in the state of California. The first bill (AB 2716) would shut down the Inglewood Oil Field — the 1,000 acre oil field that is barely producing oil yet wreaking havoc on frontline communities. The second bill (AB 1866) would ramp up the fees that oil companies must pay to cover clean-up costs to keep the onus on oil companies, not taxpayers. And the third bill (AB 3233) would reaffirm that local governments have the power to restrict fossil fuel production in their jurisdictions, addressing the court decision that stifled progress. 

Once these bills were introduced, Friends of the Earth jumped into gear to get them passed. Our staff joined multiple letters urging the legislature to pass the bills, and lobbied tirelessly in Sacramento to push them through. Our members also stepped up to the plate, with nearly 2,500 of our members in California calling and emailing their legislators to support these bills. And that activism paid off.

After all three bills passed through the California legislature, Governor Gavin Newsom hosted a press conference to sign them all into law, marking a major step in California’s ongoing efforts to cut pollution and protect communities. These three bills will better protect communities facing the hazards of fossil fuel extraction and ramp up the pressure for oil companies to actually do something about the pollution they’re spewing. 

On top of pushing back on the oil industry, the bills will also invest in local communities. Fines generated by owners of wells at Inglewood Oil Field not complying with the law will go into a community fund to pay for parks and benefits for local communities. The bills will also establish California’s first repair fund for frontline communities!

This is a massive win for the state of California, and serves as a goal post for other states — and the federal government — to strive to meet. We must continue to fight for policies that hold the oil industry accountable and protect local communities that have been dealt the burden of environmental injustice.