Phasing Out Oil Drilling In Long Beach
There are thousands of active, idle and abandoned oil and gas producing wells in Long Beach – many of which are located near homes, schools, daycares, parks, hospitals and other places where people live, work, play and study. The Wilmington Oil field is the third largest oil field in the contiguous United States. There are a total of 2,762 operational wells within the city limits of Long Beach. As of recent, active wells account for 71.3%, idle wells for 27.3%, and new wells 1.4% of the total wells. On average, the operational wells within Long Beach produced a total of 893,247 barrels of crude oil and condensate in 2020.
A Public Health Impact
Neighborhood oil drilling exposes Long Beach residents to toxic chemicals and smog-forming gases, which can cause respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, leukemia, lymphoma, lung cancer, nervous system damage, reproductive and endocrine disruption, birth defects, and premature death. Neighbors to urban oil drilling suffer the most from these health effects. Even once a well is no longer active, it can continue to leak oil, methane, and other gases, leaving nearby communities at continued risk.
An Environmental Justice Issue
Many of the communities most affected by neighborhood oil wells have high concentrations of people of color and low-income households. Many neighborhoods with urban oil drilling operations have already been identified as high-risk because of their exposure to environmental hazards and pollution.
An estimated 140,138 individuals live within 3,200 feet of an operational oil and gas well within the city limits. This is about 30.2% of the population. Of those, 101,498 (72.4%) identify as non-white, including Latina/Hispanic origin.
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