Los Angeles Plans to Ban Oil and Gas Wells

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The Council has unanimously approved a measure to ban new oil and gas wells in the city, and phase out existing ones.

Through the measure, zoning laws to make drilling illegal. The council also created a jobs program to help transition oil and gas workers to other industries.

Culver City and unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County have already taken similar steps. These oil and gas phaseouts are part of a statewide movement in California to move away from fossil fuel production and usage. In October 2021, the state's oil and gas regulator proposed a ban on new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of schools, homes and hospitals.

Activists say that Black and Latino residents are the most affected by pollution and health problems that come from the sites, but the other side argues this move will cause a raise in gas prices, eliminate jobs and make the region more dependent on foreign oil.

President of the Los Angeles City Council, Nury Martinez said, "From Wilmington to the San Fernando Valley, gas drilling and oil wells have disproportionally affected the health of our working-class neighborhoods. This is yet another example of how front-line communities disproportionally bear the impacts of pollution and climate change, whether it's a power plant, freeways or an airport, communities of color have been carrying the burden for longer than we can imagine. Today we are reinforcing our commitment to environmental justice with one of the strongest policies in the entire nation."