Oil rigs just south of town extract crude for Chevron at sunrise in Taft. The company said it’s slashing oil-refinery investments in California because of “adversarial” policies toward fossil fuels, a move that may boost what already are the highest pump prices in the nation. Tuesday in support of a lawsuit California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed that seeks to extract billions of dollars from some of the world’s largest oil companies.
“If the attorney general wins, the state of California would benefit from the creation of a fund that could help us fund climate mitigation and adaptation investments,” said vice chair and District 3 Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, who introduced the resolution, “as well as create a pool of resources to protect California’s natural environment from future pollution.”
The measure passed 3-1, with District 2 Supervisor Joel Anderson casting the opposing vote. District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond was absent from the meeting due to illness. The resolution is largely symbolic and does not have the force of law but Bonta issued a statement after the vote expressing gratitude for the support.
“From rising sea levels to ravaging wildfires, we have seen the devastating impacts of climate change across our state, including in San Diego County,” Bonta said.against Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP and the American Petroleum Institute trade group, alleging that as far back as the 1960s the oil industry denied or downplayed its collective impact on climate change.