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
Los Angeles To Phase Out Oil Drilling
The city has banned new wells and will end all extraction within two decades.
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Healing the Land: Collaborative Effort to Reclaim Orphan Well Sites
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National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
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Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
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Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service