Maybe California needs to shut down all of its oil drilling operations

Approximately 2.1 million people in California live within half a mile of an oil or gas well, according to a 2020 analysis by FracTracker Alliance. This nonprofit organization collects data on the health consequences of oil and gas development. Californian’s well fields are primarily located in residential neighborhoods.

California produces an upward of 140 million barrels of oil every year. Unfortunately, even with California being a leading oil producer, there are no buffer zones to protect residents from oil gas and extraction. Considering that the state’s oilfields are primarily old and their wells outdated, they require a lot of high-tech to drill, resulting from toxic chemicals.

Unlike rural oil-producing states, where oil fields are uninhabited save for the miners working on them, California’s Kern County produces 70 percent of the state’s oil, and pump jacks are seen hovering over the elementary school in Shafter. And to the South near Long Beach, drilling rigs silhouette the playing fields.

On top of that, Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay area’s refineries, located in neighborhoods, handle the dirtiest oil in the world—from Alberta’s Athabasca oil sands to its very own carbon-heavy crude oil.

A situation that is only getting worse, between 2015 to 2020, California issued more than 25,000 permits for drilling new wells and redrilling older ones, with more than 60 percent of them in Spanish-speaking communities. Last month, an underwater pipeline leaked for several days, covering the coast for miles in sticky oil. As of last month, the oil had infiltrated a crucial coastal wetland habitat in Huntington Beach, dispersing the oil even further to the south.

Scientific research has documented the health problems exposed to people living near these neighborhoods. A 2012 study done by the University of Colorado found that people who lived within a mile of a fracking site had a higher risk of developing cancer. The study pointed to the exposure of Benzene, a known carcinogenic detected near oil facilities.

In a separate study in California, a connection was found between exposure to oil and gas well sites and spontaneous preterm birth. In yet another study published last year, researchers looked at birth records from 2006 to 2015 in rural California. They linked low-birthweight babies and other adverse birth outcomes with proximity to oil and gas wells.

The state of California for years has been in the business of promoting rather than managing oil production- Something that was revealed in an investigative report done in 2019. A report that showed that leaders

123rf.com in the state Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources had investments in major oil companies. Since state Governor Gavin Newsom took office, fracking permits have more than doubled.

Since the report’s airing, Newsom made some adjustments and renamed the division to Geological Energy Management Division (CalGEM). The body recently proposed that the state ban new oil and gas drilling with 3,200 feet of schools, homes, and hospitals to protect public health—thus establishing the largest buffer zone in the country.

The proposal faces opposition from oil and industry and labor allies who warn that the plan would raise California energy prices—something that would bring political consequences for the governor.

The ambitious proposals will take a long time before it becomes policy, earliest 2023, and unfortunately, it will not shut down the existing wells within 3,200 feet from communities and schools. However, should the proposal be passed, these wells will be subjected to new pollution controls. A coalition that advocates for Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities in heavily populated areas commended the proposal by Newsom.

ABOUT ERIC FRAZIER:

Eric Lawrence Frazier is President and CEO of the Power Is Now Inc. The Power Is Now is a multimedia company specializing in real estate and mortgage education for consumers and real estate professionals on various topics in real estate, lending, economics, and government policy since September 1, 2009. The financial and real estate information is distributed through BlogTalkRadio, iTunes, TuneIn, and other online radio platforms nationwide, as well as online TV and eMagazines. Connect with Eric Frazier DRE 01143484 | NMLS 461807 | Office: 800-401-8994 x 703 | Direct: 714-361-2105 and start your real estate investment journey or homeownership in safe hands.

ABOUT THE POWER IS NOW MEDIA

The Power Is Now Media is an online multimedia company founded in 2009 by Eric L. Frazier, MBA, headquartered in Riverside, California. We advocate for homeownership, wealth building, and financial literacy for low to moderate-income and minority communities. The Power Is Now Media corporate office is located at 3739 6th Street Riverside, CA 92501. Ph: 800-401-8994 Website: www.thepowerisnow.com

Eric Lawrence Frazier, MBA. President and Founder, The Power Is Now Media

Work Cited

https://www.climatechangenews.com/2021/05/07/california-biggestproducer-planning-go-beyond-oil/#:~:text=California%20would%20 be%20the%20biggest,biggest%20US%20state%20oil%20producer. https://e360.yale.edu/features/the-oil-well-next-door-californias-silenthealth-hazard https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-02-26/california-health-oilgas-drilling-hazards-buffer-zones https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/why-iscalifornia-still-drilling-for-oil-despite-its-ambitious-climate-goals