By Hunter Chase, Editorial Intern
Permissible place to drill for oil and gas in California will face additional and severe restrictions if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs Assembly Bill 345 into law.
The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, was recently postponed until next year by the Appropriations Committee so that legislators can improve the language of the bill, said Alvaro Casanova, the senior policy advocate for the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment. The bill passed 7 – 3 in the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources in April. If the bill becomes law, it would prohibit future drilling projects in California within 2,500 feet of residences, schools, hospitals and playgrounds.
Several weeks prior to the committee vote, Muratsuchi predicted the bill would receive stiff opposition, not just from oil companies, but from unions afraid of job losses.
“I want to make sure that we are protecting children and families, while at the same time protecting good union jobs.” Muratsuchi said.
He said large oil companies are the most well-funded special interest in Sacramento and spend the most money on lobbying.
The California Chamber of Commerce called Muratsuchi’s bill a job killer on its CAJobKiller.com website.
On AB 345, the chamber said it would eliminate thousands of high-paying California jobs and require California to import even more foreign oil by banning new oil and gas development, re-drilling operations and rework operations.
Casanova said advocates for the bill, including himself, did not have as much money to advocate for the bill as the oil companies. Despite this, Casanova was optimistic the bill would reach the governor’s desk.
Casanova said the bill will protect communities already overburdened by air pollution, specifically in Los Angeles County and Kern County.
Casanova said the claim the bill would shut down oil production in the state of California is outlandish.
“They can continue to access and drill for oil,” Casanova said.
The only difference is they cannot create new drills close to communities. The bill focuses on new oil wells, not current ones.
“There’s no existing jobs that are in danger,” said Sherry Lear, co-organizer of 350 South Bay Los Angeles, a climate action group fighting for swift transition to a 100 percent renewable energy future.
She said that looking after a specific well is not a full-time job. They are simply monitored.
The environmental improvement that the bill would bring outweigh any economic downside, Lear said.
The bill also prevents abandoned or plugged oil wells from being reused if they are within 2,500 feet of a residence, school or hospital.
“Two-thousand-five-hundred feet is the recommended minimum for health and safety,” Lear said.
“It’s very important for the community,” said Sally Hayati, director of Ban Toxic MHF, and former director of Torrance Refinery Action Alliance. “It’s a very, very necessary bill.”