Department of Conservation Proposes Regulation on Oil Wells

The Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management Division has released a proposed regulation that would prohibit new wells and facilities within a 3,200-foot exclusion area or setback from homes, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and other sensitive locations. It would also require pollution controls for existing wells and facilities within the same 3,200-foot setback area.

“Our reliance on fossil fuels has resulted in more kids getting asthma, more children born with birth defects and more communities exposed to toxic dangerous chemicals. California is taking a significant step to protect the more than 2 million residents who live within a half-mile of oil drilling sites, many in low-income and communities of color,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “We are committed to protecting public health, the economy and our environment as we transition to a greener future that reckons with the realities of the climate crisis we’re all facing.”

A 15-member public health expert panel selected by University of California, Berkeley and Physicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy helped inform the draft rule. The panel concluded that when oil and gas developments are within 3,200 feet, there is a strong connection to higher rates of adverse birth outcomes, respiratory diseases such as asthma, and heart disease, among other health impacts. The panel’s research supports both moving oil production farther away from communities in combination with pollution controls for operating wells.