LOS
ANGELES, April 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a
historic first, California oil
regulators approved zero new drilling permits in the first quarter
of 2024, effectively halting new drilling permit approvals at 5,947
since Governor Newsom came to office in 2019, according to Consumer
Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance. Newsom's regulators
have issued a total of 15,940 well permits of all types
since he took office in 2019.
At the same time, permits to redrill oil and gas wells
plummeted 89% to 99 permits in the first quarter over the same
quarter last year, according to FracTracker Alliance analysis of
permit data from the California Geologic Energy Management Division
(CalGEM) that approves drilling permits. Permits to plug wells rose
76% to 1, 299. See Table 1.
Table 1.
|
Permits by Well
Types
|
Permit Count
Totals
|
Oil and Gas
Production
|
EOR &
Support
|
O&G and EOR
Totals
|
Plugging
|
Year
|
New
Drilling
|
Rework/
Redrill
|
New
Drilling
|
Rework/
Redrill
|
New
Drilling
|
Rework/
Redrill
|
Total
|
Abandon
|
2023 –
Q1
|
0
|
475
|
1
|
421
|
1
|
896
|
897
|
739
|
2024 –
Q1
|
0
|
67
|
0
|
32
|
0
|
99
|
99
|
1,299
|
Percent
Change:
|
Down 100%
|
Down 86%
|
Down 100%
|
Down 92%
|
Down 100%
|
Down 89%
|
Down 89%
|
Up 76%
|
*Permits for Sidetracks
and to Deepen wells are included in the Rework/Redrill
counts
|
FracTracker analysis of CalGEM permit data
"CalGEM is diligently requiring environmental reviews under CEQA
and assessing the potential impacts of the permits that they are
issuing," said Kyle Ferrar, Western
Program Director for FracTracker Alliance. "The reduction in
approved permits is a strong indication that CalGEM is taking the
risks associated with drilling and drilling activity more seriously
when considering their impacts on communities."
Table 2.
Year
|
New Drill Permits Issued
|
2019
|
2,366
|
2020
|
2,002
|
2021
|
553
|
2022
|
551
|
2023
|
25
|
Total
|
5,497
|
California is home to 101,000
actively producing, idle, and newly permitted wells that have not
yet become operational, according to FracTracker Alliance. Out
of that number, 26,000 are located within the 3,200-foot health
protective zone where millions of people live.
Wells within the setback zone produce an average of only two
barrels of oil per day, adding almost no economic benefit. Drillers
prefer to keep them running rather than pay the cost of plugging
them.
"Scientific evidence shows a direct link between drilling,
pre-term births, respiratory illnesses and cancer among people who
live in close proximity to oil drilling," said Liza Tucker, consumer advocate with Consumer
Watchdog. "It's also not profitable for oil companies to
drill for oil inside the health protective zone. So, it makes
no sense to continue to poison people for the sake of pennies.
These findings make the case for passage of new laws to protect
vulnerable California communities
by holding drillers accountable."
Assembly Bill 3155 (Friedman) creates a new financial liability
presumption for a respiratory ailment, a pre-natal defect, and a
person's cancer diagnosis if they lived for two years within 3,200
feet of an oil and gas production facility that failed to use the
most effective pollution control technology. The bill passed out of
the Assembly Judiciary Committee earlier this week and heads
to a hearing before the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on
Monday, April 22nd.
AB 2716 (Bryan), the Low-Producing Well Accountability Act
takes aim at wells eking out less than 15 barrels of oil per day in
health protection zones by levying a $10,000 per day fine on each of these wells known
as "stripper wells." Stripper wells are at the end of their
economically productive lives. Drillers keep them open because it
costs less than spending $100,000 or
more per well to plug them. Stripper wells inside health protection
zones pollute, endangering the health of residents for little
economic gain. 83% of the active wells in the setback zone operate
as stripper wells. AB 2716 passed out of the Assembly Natural
Resources Committee and awaits action in the Appropriations
Committee.
To see the number of drilling permits approved in the first
quarter of 2024 and locations, visit Consumer Watchdog and
FracTracker Alliance's joint
site: https://newsomwellwatch.com
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SOURCE Consumer Watchdog