Newsom signs law delaying oil industry’s leak detection in communities

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Oil Wells News

California,Newsom,Leaks

The slowdown comes as the governor lauds his record as tough on oil companies. His administration requested several more years to force companies to detect and fix leaks.

If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.Companies won’t have to monitor their oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of California’s residential areas for leaks until July 2030 — three and a half years later than the deadline that Newsom and the Legislature set in law two years ago.

The slowdown in protecting communities near wells comes as Newsom lauds his administration’s agenda as getting tough on the oil industry and phasing out fossil fuels.. State air and water regulators said they needed more time to hire staff, test techniques for detecting leaks and develop specific policies.“The delay is extremely troubling and will force frontline communities to wait longer for much-needed pollution protections,” said Hollin Kretzmann, an attorney at the group’s.

In the end, the Legislature settled on three and a half years, setting a new deadline of July 2029 for companies to submit leak detection and response plans and July 2030 for implementing them. Originally companies were supposed to detect and fix leaks by January 2027. The Assembly passed the bill in a 45 to 14 vote; the Senate voted 30 to 9.

“After thorough deliberation and negotiations, I am pleased to see a consensus reached on the implementation of this vital law to protect California families from the dangers of oil drilling pollution,” State Sen.Oil company executives say the law will eliminate jobs, drive up gasoline prices and increase California’s dependence on imported oil. Complying will cost them about $40 million over the first two years, the industry estimates.

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