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 72,000 oil wells statewide that produced 165.3 million barrels of oil in 2018, according to the CA Department of Conservation. 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 Rulemaking
To fulfill its recently strengthened mission to protect public health, safety, and the environment, the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) is undertaking a process to update public health and safety protections for communities near oil and gas production operations.
The rulemaking will involve extensive public input and consider the best available science and data to inform new and strengthened protective requirements.
The first step of CalGEM’s rulemaking process will be a series of pre-rulemaking workshops, held in communities near oil and gas operations, to invite public input on the best ways to protect human health through new rules. Concerns shared at these meetings will inform the formal rulemaking. This is an important time for the public to speak out about how to protect public health and the environment.
Sierra Club members and supporters are joining efforts with over 700 environmental justice, health and labor partners to call for 2500-foot health and safety buffer zone between fossil-fuel infrastructure and homes, schools, and other sensitive sites.
More information about the hearings and rule making process can be found on the state run website.
Campaign Update
Sierra Club and our allies at Last Chance Alliance submitted over 40,000 public comments to CalGEM calling for strong regulations. Check out our press release about our efforts.
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.
- A buffer of 2500′ between oil and gas operations and the places where people live, work, and learn is necessary to protect the health and safety of our communities.
- There should be no drilling through drinking water aquifers. We have an obligation to protect peoples’ drinking water sources.
