SACRAMENTO (AP) – The California Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Monterey County cannot enforce a voter-approved ban on new oil and gas wells, a decision that comes amid an ongoing battle over how the state should address the health and climate impacts of fossil fuel extraction.
The ruling comes a day after environmental advocates announced a plan to try to enshrine a state law banning new gas and oil wells near homes, schools and hospitals as the oil industry vies for voters to overturn it. Voters could face dueling measures on the November 2024 ballot. The court’s decision dealt a blow to local advocates, who have been fighting for years to change the practices of the oil industry.
Voters in the county first approved the ban in 2016, shortly after which Chevron sued. The state Supreme Court said the state, not the county, has the authority to regulate certain methods of oil production that would have been banned by the measure.
President of Protect Monterey County, which pushed to get the local initiative passed Laura Solorio said she was surprised and disappointed by the ruling.
“We need to really pressure legislators to develop better regulations to ban new oil and gas drilling in the state,” Solorio said.
The initiative, known as Measure Z, set out to ban fracking, which involves injecting fluids into the ground to help oil come up; as well as new oil and gas wells; and another practice known as wastewater injection.
“Chevron is pleased that this decision brings an end to seven years of litigation and appeals,” a lawyer representing Chevron Jeffrey Dintzer said in a statement.
