SACRAMENTO, CA – Environmental justice and climate justice advocates have obtained the following draft bill language from the Governor’s office proposing to grant the oil industry unlimited permits for new wells across the state:
SEC. 7. Section 21080.80 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read: 21080.80.
(a) This division shall not apply to the approval by the Geologic Energy Management Division of a notice of intention under Section 3203 to commence drilling a new well, to the extent this division would otherwise apply, if all of the following requirements are met:
(1) Approval of the notice of intention is not part of a project for which there is already a certified, complete, and valid environmental impact report or an adopted, complete, and valid negative declaration or mitigated negative declaration.
(2) The wellhead for the new well to be drilled is located within an established oil and gas field, as identified by the Geologic Energy Management Division.
(3) The wellhead for the new well to be drilled is not located within a health protection zone, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 3280.
(4) Activities approved under the notice of intention for a new well will not require an individual take permit for species protected under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1531 et seq.) or the California Endangered Species Act (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 2050) of Division 3 of the Fish and Game Code).
(5) Activities approved under the notice of intention for a new well will not require a streambed alteration permit pursuant to Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 1600) of Division 2 of the Fish and Game Code.
(6) The wellhead location for the new well to be drilled has no cultural or historic resources present, as determined by a qualified archeologist based on a pedestrian ground surface survey demonstrating no cultural or historic resources are present at the site.
(7) (A) Before the new well is drilled, two other wells, as defined in Section 3008, shall be plugged and abandoned.
(i) One of the wells to be plugged and abandoned shall have a wellhead located in the same oil and gas field as the new well, as determined by the Geologic Energy Management Division.
(ii) The other well to be plugged and abandoned shall have a wellhead located in a health protection zone, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 3280.
(iii) A well that has already been identified in any idle well elimination plan described in Section 3206 shall not count for the plugging and abandonment required pursuant to this paragraph. A well plugged and abandoned under the requirements of this paragraph shall not subsequently count for compliance with an idle well elimination plan described in Section 3206.
(B) The notice of intention submitted for the replacement well shall identify the two wells that have been plugged and abandoned in accordance with Section 3208 and that satisfy the conditions in subparagraph (A). Plugging and abandonment of both wells shall be completed after January 1, 2026, and before commencement of work under the notice of intention for the new well.
(b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2036, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2036, deletes or extends that date.
Frontline communities are sounding the alarm and leaking this language to expose its dangerous implications. The following statement outlines their united and unequivocal rejection of this proposal:
“We absolutely reject this outrageous blank check for unlimited oil drilling across the state of California for the next decade. Make no mistake: the climate impacts of this will hurt every community, but it will most harm communities of color, Indigenous, migrant and low-income communities who are already disproportionately harmed by oil and gas extraction. It abandons California’s equity, climate, and public health goals and does nothing to address affordability. We demand the Governor immediately pull back this dangerous plan and work with communities and the Legislature on real solutions that protect our health, our climate, and our future.”
Signed by:
Communities for a Better Environment
Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles
Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment
Central California Environmental Justice Network
Black Women for Wellness Action Project
California Environmental Justice Alliance
Asian Pacific Environmental Network
Central Valley Air Quality Coalition
Earthjustice
California Environmental Voters
Surfrider Foundation
California Coastal Protection Network
###
CONTACT:
Erika Guzman Cornejo
(310) 755-1615
erika@envirovoters.org
Share this press release
ABOUT CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS
California Environmental Voters (EnviroVoters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. See more press releases.
