SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA (AP) – California lawmakers blocked two big environmental bills on Thursday. One that would have ramped up the state’s emissions targets, and another that would have made oil companies liable for the health problems of people who live close to oil wells.
They are among the hundreds of bills that did not survive the Legislature’s suspense file, a mysterious process where lawmakers decide – with no explanation – which bills will get a chance to become law later this year and which ones should not move forward.
Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law that bans drilling new oil wells within 975 metres of sensitive areas like homes and schools. But the law hasn’t taken effect because the oil industry quali-fied a referendum on the 2024 ballot asking voters to overturn it.
That referendum angered environmental and health advocates. They decided if the oil industry wanted to block that law, then they would try to pass another law making it easier for oil companies to be held liable for health problems of people who live near wells.
The bill, authored by Senator Lena Gonzalez, would have required oil companies to pay up to USD1 million to people who have cancer or other health problems associated with the well.
“Today, we missed a key opportunity to advance legislation that would hold polluters accountable and prevent further harm to families who are just trying to stay healthy and have a better quality of life,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
The Senate Appropriations Committee stopped the bill from getting a vote by the full Senate, meaning it is not likely to become law this year. President of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog Jamie Court, blamed committee chair Senator Anthony Portantino, a Democrat from Burbank.
“A bill like this should get a hearing by the full Senate and not be shoved in a drawer by one politician when we have millions of people living within a half mile of oil wells whose lives and health are at threat everyday,” Court said.
Portantino’s office did not respond. A spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Association Kara Greene, which opposed the bill, said it would have been unfair to oil and gas companies and done more harm than good.
