The City of Los Angeles approved this Wednesday an ordinance to ban oil drilling and extraction in the city, after more than a decade of opposition to oil companies and pollution risks affecting thousands of people.
The ordinance was approved unanimously by the city council “to prohibit oil and gas extraction and to make the existing extraction activities a non-conforming use in all zones,” according to the document.
The plan envisions a gradual elimination of production over the next 20 years, covering about 600 active oil wells, as well as 1,200 inactive ones.
The city body states that “the most exposed communities (…) have suffered historical injustices caused by exposure to known health and public safety hazards arising from oil drilling.”
“Activities related to oil and gas extraction operations are associated with many potential health and safety impacts, especially when they occur near sensitive facilities such as schools, daycares, elder care centers, residential centers for adults, parks, hospitals, or residences,” the text added.
This measure, subject to final approval by the City Council President, Karen Bass, aligns with the county’s goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035 and protecting the public health of residents in neighborhoods adjacent to extraction zones.
Furthermore, this institutional fight against oil production re-activates a decision by the Los Angeles City Council, from March 2022, which prohibited the drilling of new gas and oil wells in the city and ordered the gradual elimination of all existing wells over the next 20 years.
Although it was approved, the measure was struck down in September 2024 by a court, which concluded that the city lacked authority in the face of state regulation.
The signing of this prohibition came after more than a decade of petitions from communities hosting the oil wells for the city to take action.
More than half a million residents of Los Angeles County live less than one kilometer from an active oil well.
