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Governor Newsom Asks Legislature to Deliver 3,200ft Setbacks on New and Existing Wells [1]
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Date: 2022-08-16
Environmental justice groups today applauded California Governor Gavin Newsom’s action on health and safety buffer zones for oil and gas wells while warning that the Governor's overreliance on carbon capture will lock in fossil fuel infrastructure.
“Governor Newsom has asked the state legislature to end neighborhood oil drilling as part of a climate package he’s aiming to pass before the end of the year’s legislative session on August 31,” according to a press statement from VISION, a coalition of climate and environmental justice groups. “In language sent to the legislature on August 11th, one proposal would mandate a 3,200 foot health and safety buffer separating communities from both new and existing oil and gas extraction sites.”
The groups said the end-of-session intervention by the Governor “follows years of advocacy led by frontline communities most impacted by oil and gas drilling. The proposed legislation would mark the end of all new extraction within the health and safety setback zone, prohibit operators from obtaining rework permits on existing extraction sites in the zone, and apply engineering and pollution controls to current operations that endanger our communities. Because oil wells are generally only productive for a few years without reworking them, this policy will phase out neighborhood drilling in the near-term.”
“Finally, after years and years of environmental justice communities asking for comprehensive public health setbacks, we’re seeing some real action on this acute public health issue. We’re ready to see the legislature follow the Governor’s lead and end the chronic crisis of neighborhood drilling in California.” said Dan Ress, Staff Attorney, Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment.
Banning these harmful oil extraction methods is a critical environmental justice issue, especially as the most impacted frontline communities living near these oil and gas wells in California are often lower-income communities and non-white communities without access to quality healthcare. Nearly 7.5 million Californians live within one mile of an oil or gas well, while nearly 3 million live within the proposed 3,200 ft setback zone.
Last Fall, California’s own scientists confirmed what we’ve long known - there is no safe distance from oil and gas extraction. California’s frontline communities suffer particularly due to increased air pollution from chemicals used during extraction methods and fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which is often found in increased concentration surrounding oil and gas wells. These toxic byproducts of extraction are associated with chronic bronchitis, a higher risk for a serious case of COVID-19, epidemic levels of pediatric asthma, cancers, headaches, nosebleeds, high-risk pregnancies, and higher risks for pre-term birth babies.
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/16/2117099/-Governor-Newsom-Asks-Legislature-to-Deliver-3-200ft-Setbacks-on-New-and-Existing-Wells
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