The decision invalidates a law that would have eliminated oil drilling in the city over the next 20 years. A proposed state law could still let cities regulate extraction.
A Superior Court judge struck down a Los Angeles law that would have phased out oil drilling in the city, banning new extraction projects and calling for an end to existing operations within the next two decades. The decision came after a group of energy producers sued the city last year. “In his ruling, Kin cited a recent California Supreme Court case involving a Monterey County ballot initiative that barred oil drilling. The court sided with Chevron and other oil companies, ruling that state regulations took precedence over the county ban.”
However, Dakota Smith notes in the Los Angeles Times, “the ruling could be moot if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill allowing cities and counties to reduce or eliminate oil and gas operations.”
Los Angeles and surrounding cities are littered with active and defunct oil wells that contaminate adjacent neighborhoods with harmful carcinogens such as benzene and formaldehyde. The ban was unanimously supported by the City Council when passed in 2022.
FULL STORY: Judge strikes down city of L.A.’s ban on new oil drilling
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