Oil Drilling in California Threatens Public Health
California is one of the largest producers of dirty oil in the nation, despite the state’s green reputation. There are approximately 61,000 active oil wells statewide that produced 118 million barrels of oil in 2023. In addition, there are approximately 40,000 oil wells that are idle but have not been plugged, according to FracTracker Alliance. Nearly five and a half million Californians live within one mile of an oil or gas well, and of those, one-third live in areas with the highest levels of pollution in the state.
Studies link proximity to oil and gas wells to a host of health impacts, including cancer, premature mortality, asthma and other respiratory ailments. These impacts are not distributed equally, with communities of color and low-income communities being most affected.
CA Public Health and Safety Enforcement
The administrator of oil wells in California is the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM). CalGEM has a responsibility to protect public health, safety, and the environment. A study commissioned by CalGEM documenting the danger to public health of living near oil wells was published in June, 2024 and can be found here.
Recently, the California Legislature passed significant legislation, SB 1137, to prohibit the drilling of new wells with 3,200 feet of homes, school, hospitals and other sensitive sites and to implement monitoring systems and plans for detecting and responding to methane and other chemical leaks. Another piece of legislation, AB 1866, imposes increased fees for idle wells and expedited requirements for plugging them.Unplugged idle wells continue to present a threat to public health and groundwater even though they are not producing oil.
Sierra Club members and supporters joined efforts with over 700 environmental justice, health and labor partners to pass these pieces of legislation. The oil industry, however, continues to push back by bringing lawsuits and pushing for delayed rulemaking and implementation deadlines.
Statewide Fossil Fuel Campaigns
Sierra Club and our allies at Last Chance Alliance continue to work statewide to move beyond fossil fuels by eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, ending dangerous offshore drilling, and making polluters pay for the climate damage they have caused.
Important Facts to Know
- Nearly five and a half million Californians live near oil and gas drilling sites where toxic, health-threatening air pollutants are emitted. Studies link proximity to oil and gas wells to a host of health impacts, including cancer, premature mortality, asthma and other respiratory ailments. These impacts are not distributed equally, with communities of color and low-income communities being most affected.
- Oil and gas extraction produces toxic air pollution. Other risks include water contamination, noise pollution, spills of toxic chemicals, and explosions. California communities are already experiencing devastating impacts of climate change. We should be reining in the fossil fuel industry, not subjecting our families to toxic pollution for the sake of drilling for more oil.
- In 2013, the California Council on Science and Technology conducted an analysis of the health and environmental impacts associated with hydraulic fracturing. The report recommended a health and safety buffer zone between sensitive land uses and oil and gas wells in order to protect the health and safety of communities where neighborhood drilling occurs. Despite these recommendations, California does not currently restrict how close oil and gas extraction activities can occur in proximity to sensitive receptors such as schools, homes, and hospitals.
- There should be no drilling through drinking water aquifers. We have an obligation to protect peoples’ drinking water sources.
