Critical legislation holding oil drillers accountable for their pollution has passed the California Senate Appropriations Committee and moves to the California Senate for a vote.
"California is one step closer to shutting down wells that endanger communities and cleaning up its oil well contamination," said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog. "These landmark bills protect communities by prioritizing the plugging of idle wells, encouraging the shutdown of low production wells, and protecting municipal laws limiting oil drilling from legal assault. This Make Polluters Pay legislative package will protect people from the health impacts of oil drilling in communities."
AB 2716 (Bryan), the Low Producing Well Accountability Act, requires oil wells in the Inglewood Oil field that produce less than 15 barrels of oil per day to pay $10,000 per month. The oil field is the largest urban oil field in America. The bill was amended by the author, Assembly member Isaac Bryan, following a deal between the author and the drillers to withdraw a referendum against the ban on new drilling permits within a half mile of a community. The ban is now in effect.
AB 1866 (Hart), the Idle Oil Well Cleanup Act, prioritizes the clean-up of idle wells to facilitate the plugging of the wells and protect communities.
AB 3233 (Addis), the Local Environmental Choice And Safety Act, protects local statutes that limit drilling from statewide preemption arguments.
"As California reaches the end of its oil drilling, it is taking the appropriate steps to make sure the oil drillers that exploited our resources for profit have the responsibility to clean up the mess they made," said Court.