Many environmentalists argue that California's oil drilling legacy is exactly what it should be, being relegated to the history books.
They are calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to ban new oil and gas drilling in California and completely phase out fossil fuel extraction in one of the nation's largest oil-producing and gasoline-consuming states. ing.
At a minimum, it would require states to impose buffer zones that prohibit the construction of new oil and gas wells near schools, hospitals, and residential areas, and eliminate potentially harmful emissions from abandoned and plugged wells. It calls for mandatory monitoring, a proposal already being considered by the state Legislature.
“If he makes a big splash about this, we'll definitely be happy. It's the fourth month. People are being very patient. By the sixth month, patience may wear thin. ” said Kathryn Phillips, director of Sierra Club California.
Phillips said his organization and other groups supporting California's oil production cuts have met privately with Newsom administration officials. Although Newsom hasn't made any promises, she said her expectations remain high.
Newsom, who served on the State Lands Commission for eight years and is well versed in the issues surrounding onshore and offshore oil drilling in California, said he would unveil a detailed strategy for his administration's energy policy in the coming weeks. Ta.
The governor has remained mum on core aspects of his policy, including whether he will ban the controversial fracking process, a process that uses drilling and large amounts of high-pressure water to extract gas and oil deposits. He avoided making a statement.
“I'm looking at this from a very pragmatic perspective,” Newsom told the Times last week. “This is also an inclusive scope because it includes people in the industry who have jobs. Communities that are affected not only by the prism of environmental justice, but also by the prism of economic justice. It's a challenging issue. There's a reason why Governor Brown has been so clever with this issue.”
The Democratic governor emphasized that he would not take a passive attitude. But even though Newsom is a strong proponent of putting the state on a path to a 100% renewable energy supply, he doesn't think California can easily wean itself from relying on oil and gas. He also said it was unrealistic.
“You can't just turn off the switch. You can't immediately go against a century of practices and policies,” Newsom said.
A pumpjack, or nodding donkey, stands near a house on 20th Street on Obispo Avenue in Signal Hill on April 16.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Although his campaign was supported by influential environmental groups that support cutting oil production, Mr. Newsom has argued against the potential and far-reaching economic consequences of undermining the state's billion-dollar industry. It is necessary to consider the impact. California's crude oil production has been on the decline in recent years, but in 2017 California was the fifth-largest crude oil producer among the 50 U.S. states, according to federal statistics.
Newsom also has a long personal and financial history with the heirs of the Getty oil family. The governor's father, the late William Newsom, was a longtime friend and high school classmate of Gordon Getty, the son of oil magnate J. Paul Getty, and managed the Getty Family Trust. Gordon Getty was also a longtime financial backer of Gavin Newsom, and the two worked together in the winery and hospitality businesses for decades. (The governor placed these investments in a blind trust after he was elected in November.)
Western States Petroleum Association President Katherine Rehuis Boyd said Newsom will take a pragmatic approach. He said California's oil production supports 368,000 “high-wage, blue-collar jobs” and that even as the state undergoes a long-term transition to a 100% renewable energy supply, it remains He said it will rely on oil and gas for fuel and energy.
“I think we have close to 40 million people in the state and we drive 26 million vehicles with internal combustion engines,” Rehuis-Boyd said. “There can be no policy that shuts down oil production in California for any length of time.”
Rehuis Boyd also pointed out that California has some of the strictest regulations and environmental protections in the world. If states decide to halt oil production, they will be forced to import oil from states and countries with far lower health, environmental and safety standards, increasing the risks to their populations.
“If we don't have oil in the country, we have to import oil from other countries. Now you're looking at truck emissions, shipping emissions, increasing chances of oil pipeline accidents. That's counterproductive,” said Bill La Mar, executive director of the California Small Business Alliance, which has 26,000 members across the state.
A sea of pumpjacks used to pump liquid petroleum from oil wells north of Bakersfield in 2016.
(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
La Mar said phasing out oil production in the state would also increase fuel prices, raising costs for business owners and ultimately consumer goods.
“At the end of the day, it's a tax on the consumer,” he said. “Most hardworking people can't afford a brand new Prius or Tesla. They rely on internal combustion engines.”
During his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, Newsom said he opposed fracking because it could pose health and environmental risks. Although his predecessor, Mr. Brown, approved limits on hydraulic fracturing, environmentalists have balked at a complete ban on hydraulic fracturing, believing it could bring economic opportunities to California. criticized.
The effort to shake up Newsom was backed by environmentalists, community groups and labor unions, the so-called “Brown Last Chance Coalition,” which tried to convince Brown to freeze all new oil and gas drilling in his final year in office. Copying a failed campaign by Brown took pride in helping California become a world leader in fighting climate change and championing renewable energy, but he said his failure to compete with California's powerful oil industry They were furious at accusations that their environmental record had been tarnished.
Newsom noted that just two days after winning the November election, the same activists protested in front of his Marin County home and blocked his driveway.
“My wife went over and said hello to them and spent some time with them,” Newsom said. “So I'm very familiar with this discussion.”
Members of the organization Idle No More SF Bay disputed Newsom's explanation of what happened. In an email to the Times, they said they gathered outside his home in Marin County shortly before Christmas to sing holiday songs, not to protest, and to make Newsom a climate change “hero.” He said he was encouraging. They said they were not obstructing Newsom's driveway.
Kathy Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity said she trusts Newsom more than Brown.
In 2018, Newsom joined other members of the State Lands Commission in protesting President Trump's efforts to open the coast to offshore oil drilling, calling the move “an undeniable danger to California's oceans, marine environment, and economy.” “and pose an unacceptably high risk,” the letter said. “Devastating damage caused by offshore oil spill”
“He's also very good at making tough rebuttals of President Trump's denial of climate change,” said Siegel, director of the center's Climate Law Institute. “We need him to take that bold approach when it comes to the oil industry.”
Siegel and others argue that the Newsom administration should take the first steps to create health and safety buffers around oil and gas wells in urban areas.
California has 72,000 producing oil wells and produced 165.3 million barrels of oil from both onshore and offshore facilities in 2018, according to the California Department of Conservation. California also consumes more gasoline than any other state, at 366,000 barrels in 2017, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
In 2018, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health tightened health and safety “setback” requirements for new oil and gas wells, requiring them to be at least 300 feet away from populated areas. It also called for significantly increased air quality monitoring within the Los Angeles Basin's 68 active oil fields. Oil rigs, storage tanks, and other operations are common in the working-class neighborhoods of Wilmington, Long Beach, Torrance, and South Los Angeles, where oil production is fraught with odors, noise, occasional spills, and refinery operations. Explosions are causing trouble in nearby areas.
Nearly 900,000 Californians live within a half-mile of an active oil or gas well, the majority of them in Los Angeles and Kern counties, according to a study by the Environmental Defense Fund. The report also found that California has 378 schools and certified child care facilities in close proximity to active wells.
The most publicized and politically charged incident highlighting the dangers of oil and gas extraction in Southern California occurred in 2015. That time, a gas leak in Porter Ranch, a wealthy community in the San Fernando Valley, displaced thousands of residents and caused complaints of nosebleeds, nausea and nausea. headache. Southern California Gas Company has agreed to pay $119.5 million to settle lawsuits brought by state and local agencies.
Rep. Al Muratsuchi (D-Rolling Hills Estates) introduced a bill in February that would ban new oil and gas wells or idle wells that have been re-drilled within half a mile of homes, schools, playgrounds, or medical facilities. submitted. Murado said he has focused on the issue ever since voters in Hermosa Beach blocked an effort to drill wells within 100 feet of homes.
Residents in less affluent areas should be afforded similar protections, he said. Even in the oil-rich state of Texas, some cities require setbacks for wells in residential areas.
“The question should not be whether to have a setback requirement; the question should be the amount,” Murado said. “Regardless of how much we compromise, the evidence is clear that some setbacks are necessary to protect our most vulnerable communities.”
phil.willon@latimes.com
twitter: @philwillon
