California oil companies will have until July 2030 to monitor wells near homes and schools for leaks into air and water, as per a last-minute compromise in the Legislature. The decision came after negotiations regarding the implementation of the two-year-old law requiring oil companies to monitor operations near residential areas to detect leaks. Environmentalists supported a two-year delay, while lawmakers settled on extending the deadline to July 2030. The bills will now go to Governor Gavin Newsom for approval, with state agencies receiving funding to implement the oil well rules.
Over 2.5 million Californians live near oil or gas wells, primarily in low-income communities of color, where health effects have been linked to well proximity. The oil industry estimates that complying with the law will cost them about $40 million over the first two years. Despite concerns from environmental groups about the delay leading to a gift to big oil, the compromise was seen as necessary due to the challenges in implementing the law’s deadlines.
Oil company executives argue that the law will eliminate jobs, increase gas prices, and make California more dependent on imported oil. The delays were deemed necessary due to the pause in implementation caused by a ballot proposition process. The focus of the law, prohibiting new wells or work within the buffer zone around homes and schools, is already in place. Newsom’s plan for a four-year delay was withdrawn, and funding for the law’s implementation has been restored by the Legislature.
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Photo credit calmatters.org
