Los Angeles Bans New Oil Drilling, Will Phase Out Current Wells

An oil pumpjack operates in the Inglewood Oil Field in Los Angeles, California
An oil pumpjack operates in the Inglewood Oil Field in Los Angeles, California on Jan. 28, 2022. Mario Tama / Getty Images
Why you can trust us

Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on Friday to ban new oil and methane gas drilling, and phase out existing wells within 20 years.

The ordinance is a major victory for communities — disproportionately communities of color essentially forced to live in sacrifice zones — who have long suffered from decades of carcinogenic pollution released by wells in the city’s 26 oil and gas fields and more than 5,000 wells.

STAND-L.A., the Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling coalition that helped spearhead the new ordinance, celebrated that “Black, Latinx and other communities of color currently living near polluting oil wells and derricks in South L.A. and Wilmington will eventually breathe easier.”

It also called on “Our city and this council [to] own up to the anti-Blackness that created policies that allowed oil drilling in neighborhoods in the first place and that fostered an environment where such a horrific example of racism and corruption could occur between council members.”

For a deeper dive:

Los Angeles Times, AP

For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, sign up for daily Hot News, and visit their news site, Nexus Media News.

Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

    By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

    Read More

    Orcas Spotted in Northeastern Pacific Ocean Could Be New Population
    Orca whales are familiar residents of West Coast waters. The
    By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
    Playing on Artificial Turf Could Cover Athletes in PFAS, Study Says
    A new study warns that athletes playing sports on artificial
    By Paige Bennett
    California Must Triple Its Rate of Carbon Emissions Reductions to Reach 2030 Target, Report Says
    California is not on track to meet its greenhouse gas
    By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Latest Articles