Setbacks from oil wells: After much effort to reincarnate last year’s AB 345 as SB 467, a bill to phase out oil and drilling and introduce setbacks for community health, the bill unfortunately did not pass in Senate Committee on Environmental Quality this year. Thanks to efforts by community-based leaders like VISIÓN Coalition, Sierra Club, and many others, the effort to introduce setbacks lived on. This October, Governor Newsom announced that the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) has issued new draft health and safety rules requiring that newly constructed oil and gas extraction sites must be at least 3,200 feet from California homes, schools, and public parks. This first of its kind draft rule is one of the longest setback distances in the nation, and will help guard Californian communities from toxic pollution from oil and gas wells.READ MORE
