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SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement on Senate Bill 1137 – a bill the Governor signed into law in September 2022 to keep new oil wells 3,200 feet from homes, schools and parks.
The law is now on hiatus following today’s certification by the Secretary of State that a referendum on the bill has qualified for the 2024 ballot.
“It’s one thing for Big Oil to make record profits while ripping off Californians at the pumps. It’s quite another to push to continue harmful drilling near daycares and schools and our homes. Greedy oil companies know that drilling causes more children to suffer from asthma, more children to be born with birth defects and more communities to be exposed to toxic and dangerous chemicals – but they would rather put our health at risk rather than sacrificing a single penny of their billions in profits.
“I proudly signed SB 1137 last year to stop new oil drilling in our neighborhoods and protect California families. Big Oil knows California goes beyond fossil fuels, so in stepping out, these companies are doing everything what they can to make a profit by polluting our communities. We don’t stand for that. California will hold Big Oil accountable, and that starts with passing our price gouging penalty to prevent extreme price spikes. gas prices like the one we saw last fall.
