CITY OF LOS ANGELES RELEASES LONG-AWAITED REPORT ON URBAN OIL DRILLING, RECOMMENDING PHASEOUT OF DRILLING
Fenceline residents and leaders claim the report fails to recommend sufficient protections against the health impacts of oil drilling
July 2019
Los Angeles, CA – The City of Los Angeles released a report conducted by the Petroleum Administrator's office analyzing the feasibility of a phase-out of oil and gas operations in communities. The report recommends that the City implement a 600-foot health and safety buffer between communities and existing oil wells, as well as a 1,500-foot buffer for new wells. If implemented, the proposed setback would phase out active oil wells over time within 600 feet of sensitive land uses such as homes, schools, and medical facilities.
The City’s report comes over two years after the Los Angeles City Council introduced a motion in June 2017, which gave the Petroleum Administrator a 120-day deadline to conduct this study. For the past two years, fenceline residents have worked closely with Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling (STAND-L.A.) coalition and have pushed City leaders for the release of the report and health protective recommendations. STAND-L.A. is a diverse coalition of environmental justice, public health and faith-based groups.
“The report’s release is a long-awaited victory for fenceline communities, whose leadership has forced City officials to acknowledge the health impacts of Big Oil. The City is finally ready to move toward a citywide policy that addresses oil drilling in LA neighborhoods. However, the report’s recommendation for a 600-foot buffer is not nearly enough. The report fails to incorporate the best available science to recommend effective protections. We refuse to put a price on entire communities that are exposed to toxic oil emissions, and we refuse to sacrifice entire communities by accepting a 600-foot recommendation. Unlike oil companies, we don't discount the value of human life and community health.” said Martha Dina Argüello, co-chair of Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling and Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility-LA.
The STAND-L.A. coalition has pushed for the release of the report as a necessary next step in implementing a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer intended to protect residents impacted by oil drilling in their neighborhoods. The report’s recommendation for a 600-foot buffer falls far lower than the coalition’s demand for 2,500 feet, which is referenced in multiple scientific studies on the health and safety impacts of oil and gas operations. These studies indicate that public health risks of exposure to toxic air contaminants (such as benzene and aliphatic hydrocarbons) are most significant within ½ mile (800 meters or 2,625 feet) from active oil and gas development.
“There is a growing body of research that shows that the closer someone lives to an oil and gas development facility, the higher the risk of being exposed to multiple health harming pollutants emitted from that facility,” said Bhavna Shamasunder, Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy at Occidental College. “Studies have shown worse pregnancy and birth outcomes, migraine headaches, asthma exacerbations, loss of smell, respiratory illness, and psychological stress. These risks are of great concern in a densely-populated city like Los Angeles, where oil wells operate just feet away from homes, schools, and medical facilities. The evidence from Los Angeles and around the country should guide decision-making and public health protective action by city leaders.”
The study released today supplements a health report published last year by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH), which confirmed that oil and gas extraction presents major public health concerns. The DPH report specifically highlighted the dangers that oil drilling poses to residents living in close proximity to wells and cited distance as a major risk factor. The DPH report itself does not recommend a distance, but noted that 1,500 feet is not enough to fully protect residents against explosions, fires, and other potential disasters.
In the City of Los Angeles Basin, 230,000 people live - and a large number of schools, elderly facilities, and daycare facilities are sited - within 2,500 feet of an active oil and gas well. Research shows that the impacts of fossil fuel infrastructure disproportionately impact working class communities of color, who are exposed to air toxins emitted from oil development and transport. Thousands of Angelenos living over 600 feet from active oil wells would remain unprotected from toxic emissions near their homes.
“My family knows what it’s like to live next to an oil well. If our city moves forward with a 600-foot buffer policy, many families will still be in danger,” said Beatriz, a resident of Wilmington and a leader at Communities for a Better Environment’s Wilmington Youth for Environmental Justice. “We’ve marched, we rallied, and we’ve gone to City Hall to demand that leaders release the report and take action - only to learn that many Wilmington residents will remain unprotected. Our leaders need to step up to a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer. I love my community, and it is high time for politicians to prioritize our health, which is not possible with a 600-foot buffer."
In addition to setback recommendations, the report also advised the City to establish regulatory measures and health and safety monitoring to mitigate the impacts of new and existing drill sites. Recently, Governor Gavin Newsom dismissed the head of DOGGR, the state agency principally responsible for enforcing these regulations, after finding that department officials overseeing key decisions for the oil industry owned shares in major oil companies.
“We’re talking about toxic facilities that regularly experience explosions, fires, and spills, located right next to homes and schools and daycare centers. Those are two fundamentally incompatible things. Communities like ours - those who live just feet away from harmful drill sites like AllenCo - have experienced too many cases of regulators’ negligence and incompetence to believe that regulation can help them,” said Rabeya Sen, Director of Policy at Esperanza Community Housing Corporation. “On top of that, we’ve now seen that top regulators are in the pockets of the oil industry rather than in service of community health. It’s clear more regulation is not the answer; a phase-out plan for wells in residential communities is the only way forward.”
As the City moves forward with implementation of the City’s Sustainability pLAn, environmental justice and climate advocates continue to push Mayor Garcetti and City Council to include a 2,500-foot health and safety as a core policy and move the city forward on a path to a clean energy economy.
“It’s clear our elected officials are committed to making Los Angeles an environmental leader in the country and the world. In this case, that means taking much bolder action than what is recommended in this report. For years, the leaders on this issue have been residents living next door to wells and refineries. Now it’s on City leaders to take the baton, put public health over polluting industries and implement a health and safety buffer of 2,500 feet,” said Jante Pruitt, Organizing Director of SCOPE-L.A.
“We are encouraged that the City of Los Angeles is acknowledging the urgent need to reform the way it permits oil drilling in a systematic way. We look forward to working with impacted communities, City leaders, workers, and forwarding-looking members of the business community to identify win-win revitalization and workforce development programs and policies that will further facilitate a health protective phaseout strategy,” said Bahram Fazeli, co-chair of STAND-L.A. and Policy Director at Communities for a Better Environment.
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IN HIS PROPOSAL FOR A GREEN NEW DEAL, MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI HIGHLIGHTS TOXIC NEIGHBORHOOD DRILLING
Frontline Residents and STAND-L.A. Call on City Leaders To Continue Prioritizing Health & Safety in Climate Legislation
April 29, 2019:
Los Angeles, CA – Today, Mayor Eric Garcetti released his proposal for a Green New Deal in Los Angeles—the 2019 Sustainable City pLAn—which provides a set of visions, targets, milestones and initiatives aimed at making the city more environmentally friendly, economically prosperous, and equitable for all. The plan sets the overarching milestone of reducing oil production by 40% below 2013 levels by 2021, and proposes to work towards a sunset strategy for oil and gas production which includes a directive to “evaluate the feasibility of a no drill health and safety buffer zone between oil and gas production facilities and communities” (p. 91).
Currently, LA is home to 880 active oil wells, with an overwhelming number of them located near sensitive land uses like homes, schools, hospitals, and churches. Numerous scientific studies, including an LA County Department of Public Health report released last year, confirm the threats that urban oil and gas operations pose to Angelenos, identifying proximity as a major risk factor. The STAND-L.A. coalition, representing a diverse group of frontline communities, has urged the LA City Council to implement a health and safety buffer phasing out oil drilling within 2,500-feet of sensitive land uses.
In response to today’s release of LA’s Green New Deal, Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling (STAND-L.A.) released the following statement:
“We are encouraged that Mayor Garcetti highlighted our City’s systemic oil and gas problem in his proposal for a Green New Deal in LA. At the end of the day, any Green New Deal in LA must put an end to oil companies drilling for health-harming, climate-damaging fossil fuels in the middle of our communities,” said Bahram Fazeli, Co-Chair of STAND-L.A. and Policy Director at Communities for a Better Environment. “As the City begins to implement this plan, we need bolder leadership from Mayor Garcetti and the City Council to prioritize environmental justice, starting with putting in place a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer for new and existing oil drilling operations.”
Los Angeles, CA – Today, Mayor Eric Garcetti released his proposal for a Green New Deal in Los Angeles—the 2019 Sustainable City pLAn—which provides a set of visions, targets, milestones and initiatives aimed at making the city more environmentally friendly, economically prosperous, and equitable for all. The plan sets the overarching milestone of reducing oil production by 40% below 2013 levels by 2021, and proposes to work towards a sunset strategy for oil and gas production which includes a directive to “evaluate the feasibility of a no drill health and safety buffer zone between oil and gas production facilities and communities” (p. 91).
Currently, LA is home to 880 active oil wells, with an overwhelming number of them located near sensitive land uses like homes, schools, hospitals, and churches. Numerous scientific studies, including an LA County Department of Public Health report released last year, confirm the threats that urban oil and gas operations pose to Angelenos, identifying proximity as a major risk factor. The STAND-L.A. coalition, representing a diverse group of frontline communities, has urged the LA City Council to implement a health and safety buffer phasing out oil drilling within 2,500-feet of sensitive land uses.
In response to today’s release of LA’s Green New Deal, Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling (STAND-L.A.) released the following statement:
“We are encouraged that Mayor Garcetti highlighted our City’s systemic oil and gas problem in his proposal for a Green New Deal in LA. At the end of the day, any Green New Deal in LA must put an end to oil companies drilling for health-harming, climate-damaging fossil fuels in the middle of our communities,” said Bahram Fazeli, Co-Chair of STAND-L.A. and Policy Director at Communities for a Better Environment. “As the City begins to implement this plan, we need bolder leadership from Mayor Garcetti and the City Council to prioritize environmental justice, starting with putting in place a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer for new and existing oil drilling operations.”
Tanker truck triggers gas explosion in South LA, 2 days after Phillips 66 refinery fire in Carson
Frontline communities and STAND-L.A. continue to call on City Council to prevent future accidents by taking health protective action
MARCH 17, 2019:
In response to the gas explosion in South Los Angeles this morning and the fire at the Phillips 66 refinery in Carson on Friday, STAND-L.A. releases the following statement:
Los Angeles, CA -- These accidents are every community’s worst nightmare. When we allow fossil fuel companies to drill, store, pump and refine fossil fuels in our neighborhoods, it comes with the very real threat of catastrophic explosions or leaks. Living next to oil wells, gas storage facilities, and oil refineries that pose risks everyday, is a burden no community should have to bear - yet these operations have continuously endangered the lives of Angeleno families, especially in communities of color. It’s time that our City Council acted to prevent these kinds of tragedies; Los Angeles needs a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer that separates dangerous fossil fuel facilities from our homes, schools and hospitals.
In response to the gas explosion in South Los Angeles this morning and the fire at the Phillips 66 refinery in Carson on Friday, STAND-L.A. releases the following statement:
Los Angeles, CA -- These accidents are every community’s worst nightmare. When we allow fossil fuel companies to drill, store, pump and refine fossil fuels in our neighborhoods, it comes with the very real threat of catastrophic explosions or leaks. Living next to oil wells, gas storage facilities, and oil refineries that pose risks everyday, is a burden no community should have to bear - yet these operations have continuously endangered the lives of Angeleno families, especially in communities of color. It’s time that our City Council acted to prevent these kinds of tragedies; Los Angeles needs a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer that separates dangerous fossil fuel facilities from our homes, schools and hospitals.
MAYOR GARCETTI TERMINATES LEASE WITH ALLENCO OIL COMPANY ON CITY-OWNED LAND, 21 OIL WELLS REMAIN
Frontline Residents and STAND-L.A. Call on City Council and Mayor to Continue Implementing Health-Protective Climate Policy
Frontline Residents and STAND-L.A. Call on City Council and Mayor to Continue Implementing Health-Protective Climate Policy
MARCH 13, 2019:
Los Angeles, CA – Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Gil Cedillo announced their decision to end an oil and gas lease agreement with AllenCo Energy, Inc. in the University Park neighborhood, permanently shutting down three oil wells that run beneath City-owned property from the site. Twenty-one wells - currently idle - will remain on the portion of the site owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The City’s decision comes after years of pressure from the surrounding community to permanently close down the AllenCo site and address the widely-reported health and safety impacts of neighborhood drilling across Los Angeles, which is home to 880 active oil wells.
Last year, the LA County Department of Public Health released a report confirming the threats that urban oil and gas operations pose to Angelenos and citing distance as a major factor in increased threats. A broad city-wide coalition led by directly impacted residents has urged the LA City Council to implement a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer between communities and drill sites, and have been waiting for over 18 months for the City to release its own report on the issue.
In response to today’s announcement by the City of Los Angeles to revoke its leases with AllenCo, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation has issued the following statement:
“Our communities have fought to protect their health from toxic oil and gas emissions next door for years – and today, the City finally stood with them. While we commend Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember Cedillo for finally showing up for our community, we are concerned that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles may still continue to allow oil drilling near our homes and schools. We urge the Archdiocese to show moral leadership and join the City in terminating its leases for the health and safety of our community – and we hope city leaders extend this gesture by phasing out oil and gas operations throughout Los Angeles,” said Nancy Ibrahim, executive director of Esperanza Community Housing.
Esperanza Community Housing leads the People Not Pozos Campaign and is a member of STAND-L.A., a coalition of community groups working to protect public health and fight climate change by ending oil drilling in LA neighborhoods and supporting a transition to a 100 percent clean energy future.
“Terminating AllenCo’s lease is a step in the right direction, but there are hundreds more active oil wells across Los Angeles that blow toxic emissions into people’s homes every day,” said Martha Dina Argüello, co-chair of STAND-L.A. “We don’t have the luxury of time to address this fossil-fueled health and climate crisis by shutting down one oil well at a time. We look forward to continued leadership from Mayor Garcetti and the City Council to protect all communities threatened by neighborhood drilling by establishing a 2,500-foot health and safety setback.”
Los Angeles, CA – Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Gil Cedillo announced their decision to end an oil and gas lease agreement with AllenCo Energy, Inc. in the University Park neighborhood, permanently shutting down three oil wells that run beneath City-owned property from the site. Twenty-one wells - currently idle - will remain on the portion of the site owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The City’s decision comes after years of pressure from the surrounding community to permanently close down the AllenCo site and address the widely-reported health and safety impacts of neighborhood drilling across Los Angeles, which is home to 880 active oil wells.
Last year, the LA County Department of Public Health released a report confirming the threats that urban oil and gas operations pose to Angelenos and citing distance as a major factor in increased threats. A broad city-wide coalition led by directly impacted residents has urged the LA City Council to implement a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer between communities and drill sites, and have been waiting for over 18 months for the City to release its own report on the issue.
In response to today’s announcement by the City of Los Angeles to revoke its leases with AllenCo, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation has issued the following statement:
“Our communities have fought to protect their health from toxic oil and gas emissions next door for years – and today, the City finally stood with them. While we commend Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember Cedillo for finally showing up for our community, we are concerned that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles may still continue to allow oil drilling near our homes and schools. We urge the Archdiocese to show moral leadership and join the City in terminating its leases for the health and safety of our community – and we hope city leaders extend this gesture by phasing out oil and gas operations throughout Los Angeles,” said Nancy Ibrahim, executive director of Esperanza Community Housing.
Esperanza Community Housing leads the People Not Pozos Campaign and is a member of STAND-L.A., a coalition of community groups working to protect public health and fight climate change by ending oil drilling in LA neighborhoods and supporting a transition to a 100 percent clean energy future.
“Terminating AllenCo’s lease is a step in the right direction, but there are hundreds more active oil wells across Los Angeles that blow toxic emissions into people’s homes every day,” said Martha Dina Argüello, co-chair of STAND-L.A. “We don’t have the luxury of time to address this fossil-fueled health and climate crisis by shutting down one oil well at a time. We look forward to continued leadership from Mayor Garcetti and the City Council to protect all communities threatened by neighborhood drilling by establishing a 2,500-foot health and safety setback.”
LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONFIRMS HEALTH THREATS OF NEIGHBORHOOD OIL DRILLING, CALLS FOR HEALTH PROTECTIVE MEASURES
A new report from LADPH examines dangers of oil drilling in close proximity to Los Angeles communities
A new report from LADPH examines dangers of oil drilling in close proximity to Los Angeles communities
FEBRUARY 26, 2018:
Los Angeles, CA--The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released a report outlining the health impacts of oil drilling in Los Angeles communities. The Department’s report concluded that the practice of neighborhood oil drilling presents clear public health concerns and recommended the County of Los Angeles and local jurisdictions take measures to protect exposed communities.
The report, requested by both the Los Angeles County Supervisors and the Los Angeles City Council, outlines the health impacts faced by residents living, attending school or worshipping near one of Los Angeles County’s 3,468 active oil wells, 880 of which operate in the City of Los Angeles. The Department outlines the clear health impacts on residents living near active oil wells, including: adverse birth outcomes, increased cancer risk, eye, nose and throat irritation, exacerbation of asthma and other respiratory illnesses, neurological effects such as headaches and dizziness, gastrointestinal effects such as nausea and abdominal pain, and mental health impacts such as depression, anxiety or fatigue.
In response to the report’s findings, STAND-L.A., a coalition of Los Angeles community groups dedicated to protecting public health from neighborhood oil drilling, released the following statement:
“This report from the LA County Department of Public Health confirms what communities in South LA and Wilmington have known and experienced for years: oil wells operating in Los Angeles neighborhoods are a clear health and safety threat to Angelenos.
Communities have lived for far too long with toxic facilities as their neighbors and waited far too long for local leaders to act. The Department's finding that the closer oil wells operate to homes, the more dangerous they are, should make abundantly clear to City and County leaders that these oil facilities have no place in our neighborhoods.
We agree with the Health Department that protecting residents calls for expanding the minimum distance between wells and sensitive land uses, given the clear immediate health impacts and the potential for long-term effects. More specifically, the high population density of communities exposed to oil wells in the City of Los Angeles warrants the establishment of a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer.
Armed with the findings in this report, City and County leaders must now act to create such a buffer that protects communities near new and existing oil wells and finds alternative uses for oil well sites that bring economic, environmental and other community benefits to neighborhoods.
Without immediate action, the City is complicit in the harm inflicted on thousands of Angelenos by neighborhood oil drilling.”
Below are key excerpts from the Department of Public Health's report outlining the health impacts of oil drilling in Los Angeles communities:
About Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling—Los Angeles:
Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling Los Angeles (STAND-L.A.) seeks to clean Los Angeles’ air, protect public health and fight climate change by ending oil drilling in LA neighborhoods. We educate and organize Angelenos in support of environmental justice and a 100% clean energy future.
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Los Angeles, CA--The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released a report outlining the health impacts of oil drilling in Los Angeles communities. The Department’s report concluded that the practice of neighborhood oil drilling presents clear public health concerns and recommended the County of Los Angeles and local jurisdictions take measures to protect exposed communities.
The report, requested by both the Los Angeles County Supervisors and the Los Angeles City Council, outlines the health impacts faced by residents living, attending school or worshipping near one of Los Angeles County’s 3,468 active oil wells, 880 of which operate in the City of Los Angeles. The Department outlines the clear health impacts on residents living near active oil wells, including: adverse birth outcomes, increased cancer risk, eye, nose and throat irritation, exacerbation of asthma and other respiratory illnesses, neurological effects such as headaches and dizziness, gastrointestinal effects such as nausea and abdominal pain, and mental health impacts such as depression, anxiety or fatigue.
In response to the report’s findings, STAND-L.A., a coalition of Los Angeles community groups dedicated to protecting public health from neighborhood oil drilling, released the following statement:
“This report from the LA County Department of Public Health confirms what communities in South LA and Wilmington have known and experienced for years: oil wells operating in Los Angeles neighborhoods are a clear health and safety threat to Angelenos.
Communities have lived for far too long with toxic facilities as their neighbors and waited far too long for local leaders to act. The Department's finding that the closer oil wells operate to homes, the more dangerous they are, should make abundantly clear to City and County leaders that these oil facilities have no place in our neighborhoods.
We agree with the Health Department that protecting residents calls for expanding the minimum distance between wells and sensitive land uses, given the clear immediate health impacts and the potential for long-term effects. More specifically, the high population density of communities exposed to oil wells in the City of Los Angeles warrants the establishment of a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer.
Armed with the findings in this report, City and County leaders must now act to create such a buffer that protects communities near new and existing oil wells and finds alternative uses for oil well sites that bring economic, environmental and other community benefits to neighborhoods.
Without immediate action, the City is complicit in the harm inflicted on thousands of Angelenos by neighborhood oil drilling.”
Below are key excerpts from the Department of Public Health's report outlining the health impacts of oil drilling in Los Angeles communities:
- "Oil and gas development in the Los Angeles Basin presents unique public health and safety concerns, because some oil and gas reserves lie beneath densely populated urban areas.... Although oil and gas production in Los Angeles County occurs in both rural and urban areas, the potential public health impacts of oil and gas sites located in densely populated areas are concerning, particularly to those who experience disproportionate economic and health inequities." (Section I. Introduction, Page 1 of 29)
- "Given the limitations of epidemiological studies, comprehensive exposure monitoring of oil and gas activities is needed, and precautionary measures are appropriate to minimize exposures to substances that may adversely affect health." (Section II. Epidemiological Research, Summary, Page 6 of 29)
- "Over 300 chemicals associated with drilling fluids present public health concerns ranging from respiratory health effects to development of cancer, if not properly monitored and controlled." (Section III. Environmental and Health Impact Assessments, Air Pollution, Page 7 of 29)
- "One study surveyed expert scientists, public health professionals and medical professionals regarding setback distances, and found that 89% of participants agreed that a minimum safe distance to unconventional oil and gas operations was a quarter of a mile (1,320 feet)." (Section V. Consultations with Other Jurisdictions, Page 17 of 29)
- "Evidence from numerous potential impact areas ranging from air pollution to catastrophic releases, compels the need for public health intervention to protect against potential negative environmental and health impacts from oil and gas operations located in densely populated urban areas." (Section VI. Conclusion, Page 19 of 29)
- "In addition to setback distances, particularly in cases of existing oil and gas operations within the minimum setback, alternative measures (e.g. engineering controls, monitoring, closure) combined with monitoring are necessary to protect the health and safety of the surrounding communities." (Section VI. Conclusion, Page 20 of 29)
About Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling—Los Angeles:
Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling Los Angeles (STAND-L.A.) seeks to clean Los Angeles’ air, protect public health and fight climate change by ending oil drilling in LA neighborhoods. We educate and organize Angelenos in support of environmental justice and a 100% clean energy future.
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