The Los Angeles City Council has voted unanimously to immediately ban new oil and gas extraction and requires all such existing operations to halt production within 20 years, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Council President Paul Krekorian described the ordinance as a “monumental step” in the history of the city and its relationship with oil, stating that it “may be the most important step towards environmental justice that this council has taken in recent memory.”
“Hundreds of thousands of Angelenos have had to raise their kids, go to work, prepare their meals (and) go to neighborhood parks in the shadows of oil and gas production,” said LA City Council president Krekorian, one of the councilmembers who introduced this measure. “The time has come …. when we end oil and gas production in the city of Los Angeles.”
Two engineers with Yorke Engineering, a California-based company that does air quality and environmental compliance review, spoke in opposition to the ordinance. They said a ban and phase out will have a negative effect because oil and gas operators will abandon wells. They said this is being underestimated by the city. If they walk away, that will mean increased air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, they said.
But Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said these claims are “not credible,” citing a review by Impact Sciences, another California-based firm that performed an environmental analysis of the ordinance for the city.
Los Angeles, which was built by a once-booming petroleum industry, currently has 26 oil and gas fields with more than 5,000 wells, some of which are idle, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling (STAND-LA), a group of community groups that pushed for the law, released a statement that “black, Latinx and other communities of color currently living near polluting oil wells and derricks in South LA and Wilmington will eventually breathe easier.”
But the group did not attend the City Council meeting and news conference, declaring that it could not support “business as usual” while Gil Cedillo and Kevin De León, who are being pressured to resign following their role in an incendiary closed-door conversation last year, are still on the council.
The oil industry opposed the city council’s decision, warning that it will harm the city’s finances and make Los Angeles more dependent on foreign oil.
The California Independent Petroleum Association, a trade group representing over 300 independent crude oil and natural gas producers, sent a letter in October that disputed claims of “detrimental health effects” from oil and gas drilling and production operations and said that the industry brings in an estimated $250 million to the city’s general funds.
About The Crude Life
Award winning interviewer and broadcast journalist Jason Spiess and Content Correspondents engage with the industry’s best thinkers, writers, politicians, business leaders, scientists, entertainers, community leaders, cafe owners and other newsmakers in one-on-one interviews and round table discussions.
The Crude Life has been broadcasting on radio stations since 2012 and posts all updates and interviews on The Crude Life Social Media Network.
Everyday your story is being told by someone. Who is telling your story? Who are you telling your story to?
#thecrudelife promotes a culture of inclusion and respect through interviews, content creation, live events and partnerships that educate, enrich, and empower people to create a positive social environment for all, regardless of age, race, religion, sexual orientation, or physical or intellectual ability.
Sponsors, Music and Other Show Notes
Studio Sponsor: The Industrial Forest
The Industrial Forest is a network of environmentally minded and socially conscious businesses that are using industrial innovations to build a network of sustainable forests across the United States.
Weekly Sponsor: Stephen Heins, The Practical Environmentalist
Historically, Heins has been a writer on subjects ranging from broadband and the US electricity grid, to environmental, energy and regulatory topics.
Heins is also a vocal advocate of the Internet of Everything, free trade, and global issues affecting the third of our planet that still lives in abject poverty.
Heins is troubled by the Carbon Tax, Cap & Trade, Carbon Offsets and Carbon Credits, because he questions their efficacy in solving the climate problem, are too gamable by rent seekers, and are fraught with unreliable accounting.
Heins worries that climate and other environmental reporting in the US and Europe has become too politicized, ignores the essential role carbon-based energy continues to play in the lives of billions, demonizes the promise and practicality of Nuclear Energy and cheerleads for renewable energy sources that cannot solve the real world problems of scarcity and poverty.
Weekly Sponsor: Great American Mining Co
Great American Mining monetizes wasted, stranded and undervalued gas throughout the oil and gas industry by using it as a power generation source for bitcoin mining. We bring the market and our expertise to the molecule. Our solutions make producers more efficient and profitable while helping to reduce flaring and venting throughout the oil and gas value chain.
Join Podcasters from across the world and all walks of life as they unite to bring civil solutions to life and liberty.
Studio Email and Inbox Sponsor: To Be Announced
Featured Music: Alma Cook
For guest, band or show topic requests, email studio@thecrudelife.com
Spread the word. Support the industry. Share the energy.
