State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco announced the introduction of a bill that seeks to phase out fracking for oil in the state and would also create a buffer zone around oil extraction sites to ensure they are not near homes, schools or other community locations.
Senate Bill 467 would stop the issuance or renewal of permits for hydraulic fracturing — also known as fracking — as well as acid well stimulation and other certain oil extraction methods starting in 2022 and would prohibit those practices in 2027.
The bill, introduced in the Legislature on Tuesday, would also prohibit all new or renewed oil and gas extraction permits within 2,500 feet of homes, schools, health care facilities or long-term care institutions by 2022. The legislators recently decided to add that language to the proposed bill, and Wiener said it will be added in 30 days because of state laws regarding changes to newly introduced bills.
SB 467 would also require the creation of a program to identify oil and gas operations workers who would be affected by a transition away from fossil fuel extractions and provide training and new job opportunities for them with well remediation contractors.
Wiener, his co-author on the bill state Sen. Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara, and advocates held a briefing Wednesday morning to discuss the importance of the bill in addressing issues like climate change and structural racism in California.
“California must lead on climate and we must reduce and eventually end our dependence on oil,” Wiener said. “We’re out of time and we need to act quickly.”
He said fossil fuel extraction often takes place in areas that tend to be lower-income and communities of color, and can cause harmful health and environmental effects even without large spills, like the 1969 one off the coast of Santa Barbara that Limon noted remains the state’s largest-ever oil spill.
According to Wiener’s office, nearly 7.5 million Californians live within a mile of an oil or gas well and more than 2 million live within a mile of an operational well.
He said states like Texas and Oklahoma have buffer zones around oil extraction sites but California currently does not. The Legislature last year considered a bill proposing setbacks for those sites from residential and other public places but did not approve it.
Gov. Gavin Newsom in September signed an executive order phasing out the sale of gas-powered passenger vehicles by 2035 and committed to working with legislators on a formal phaseout of fracking this year.
Wiener and Limon said they anticipate plenty of pushback from the oil industry and other stakeholders in negotiations over the bill as it moves forward, but that public polling has shown an increase in support for actions to address climate change and the state’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“No one has the perfect plan for how we transition oil workers, we want to acknowledge that,” Wiener said. “This needs to be a communal effort.”
“We expect they will be at the table,” Limon said of the fossil fuel industry, “but perhaps not greeting us there with roses and flowers.”
Weiner and Limon. The dynamic duo. Curing racism and global warming in one fell swoop.
Is there a private sector job the Democrats won’t kill?
Get rid of the pipeline. CHECK!
Outlaw fracking. CHECK!
Limit oil supply. What could possibly go wrong?!
So on those days when there is no wind or sun, it will just have to be a communal effort with no heat in the homes or electricity in the hospitals. Seems like another brilliant plan from Sacramento.
Tidal power
Geothermal power
Bioenergy
Hydropower
Nuclear power
Those are just some
Specifically geothermal and tidal are way more reliable than any, do not produce wast and harnesses energy that occurs naturally within are world with no byproducts
What the frack is going on?
I’m quite sure Whacko Weiners plan would not in any way contribute to the current trend of businesses fleeing(for their lives) California. No problem. We can all just commute and transport ourselves by riding unicorns.
Well, we lead the nation on stupidest kids. We are almost the only state that is still mostly shut down for school. Let’s just keep ruining the state! Yeah!
Governor Brown was the leader who decided that California needed to frack the Monterey shale, which is mostly in the San Joaquin valley, using precious water during our worst drought, and risking our natural environment in the nation’s agricultural heartland. I’m guessing he had some buddies that $upported him. Now that the gas prices are lower and fracking is not profitable, these bold leaders are trying to get bonus points for threatening a unprofitable business. My heroes!
I’ve come to really believe that mental illness is contagious. This is worse than Covid-19. It never stops adding more and more people in this category.
Let’s see here… how can we eliminate jobs, be more energy dependent and raise fuel prices all at the same time?…… Gotta think like a Wiener.
The left is like the drunk family member that screws up every reunion. How did their minds get so demented?
I keep thinking NO. Who are these people looking out for?
The only hope we have is for voters to take an intelligence test before being able to vote. The country is in real trouble right now.
OMG!! I thought FRACKING was long ago banned everywhere!! Obviously my head’s been in the sand. Stop Fracking Now!!!
If you use natural gas at your home you can go outside and turn it off. It’s not hard to do.
I’m actually amazed that this guy is consistently able to come up with bills that for problems that aren’t even near my top 10 of worries as a Californian. Is that why everybody is trying to flee this state right now?
I dont understand how many more jobs this state wants to burn to the ground. There are a lot more problems that need more immediate attention.
Weiner(weinee!), B.Lee, Limon, Ting, and the other Demo Chinese Assy all need to blow out of here! Go to NY and sit w/Cuomo around a fire and muse!
Until these liberal types are voted out of office this state will remain in the toilet!
Dems want to destroy our independence from Middle Eastern crude oil while actively pumping up troop numbers in the region. Syria and Iran must be getting nervous.