Los Angeles, California: Mayor Signs Oil and Gas Drilling Ban, With New Drilling Prohibited Citywide and Existing Wells to Phase Out Within 20 Years
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has signed a citywide ban on oil and gas drilling in the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. According to the Mayor's Office, the ordinance prohibits all new oil and gas drilling anywhere in the city.
Existing oil wells are designated a nonconforming use and must cease production within 20 years of the ordinance taking effect, unless another law sets an earlier deadline. The ordinance also restricts expansion and major modification of existing well sites, allows exceptions needed for health and safety, and imposes monitoring requirements for wells during the phase-out period.
This is Los Angeles's second attempt at a drilling ban. An earlier ordinance adopted by the City Council in December 2022 was struck down in litigation. The state legislature subsequently passed AB 3233, reaffirming local governments' authority to regulate oil and gas operations, and the city redrafted the ordinance on that basis.
Council President Harris-Dawson, Councilmembers Nazarian and Yaroslavsky, and the community coalition STAND-LA, which has long campaigned for the ban, welcomed the signing. The city noted that Los Angeles is among the largest U.S. cities with active oil wells inside dense neighborhoods, many of them next to homes and schools, where residents have reported health concerns for years.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 洛杉矶历史上的油田作业区（资料图）。公共领域历史照片。 / A historic Los Angeles oil district (file photo). Public domain historical photograph.
