Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California Strongly Opposes SB 237 to Expand New Oil Drilling
Legislation introduced today would ultimately put health and safety of millions at risk with proposal for new oil wells
Sacramento, CA - Today, Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California (CSHC) is responding to SB 237 introduced today after late-night dealmaking to cram critical supply-side climate policy into a rushed gut-and-amend without input from communities and key stakeholders. This legislation will expose Californians to the toxic pollution and dangers of thousands of new oil wells every year.
A previous version of the draft of the proposal threatened to establish statewide exemptions to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to allow for a massive expansion of new oil drilling, effectively rolling back decades of work to protect Californians. Thanks to the dedicated advocacy of community members statewide, that language is no longer in the bill.
“These dramatic shifts in existing policy should not be crammed in the Legislature’s last 72 hours. Instead it requires thoughtful discussion, collaboration and transparent hearings, rather than getting jammed into one informational hearing and then rushed through a messy, last minute gut-and-amend.
These bills will have dire consequences on the progress California has made in recent years to protect residents from the toxic effects of oil drilling. More in-state drilling would do nothing to address refinery closures and would have no impact on lowering gas prices. California oil fields are already depleted, so more permits won't increase local crude production. More drilling will only deepen racial and climate injustice.
The transition from oil is well underway in California and across the world, with refineries closing from Texas to Los Angeles. But in California, Big Oil is using the threat of refinery closures as a bargaining chip to pressure lawmakers into approving more drilling. Rather than yielding to industry hostage-taking and backroom lobbying, lawmakers must safeguard public health and plan for a managed transition to clean energy that doesn’t leave Californians living near oil production paying the price.
We hope to work with lawmakers to find solutions that both advance the state’s climate goals and protect our residents. But we will stand united in calling for the rejection of any proposal that gives industry the opportunity for increased oil drilling at the expense of Californians’ health and safety.”
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Press Contact:Aimee Dewing, aimee.dewing@cavsbigoil.com