The city of Los Angeles prohibits the drilling of new oil and gas wells and will gradually retire existing ones within a five-year timeframe.

• On Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council approved a plan to prohibit new oil and gas wells in the city and gradually phase out existing wells over a five-year timeframe.
• For decades, residents living near polluting drilling sites have complained about health problems.
• Over 500,000 individuals in LA reside near oil and gas wells that emit pollutants such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to prohibit new oil and gas wells and gradually phase out existing wells within five years, in response to residents' longstanding concerns about health issues caused by living near drilling sites.

The measure, introduced by Council members Nury Martinez and Paul Krekorian in December 2020, is part of a broader effort to increase the distance between drilling and people and shift away from climate-changing fossil fuels.

The region contains one of the largest urban oil fields in the country, with over 5,000 active wells in LA County and over 1,000 active or idle wells within city limits. Over half a million people in LA live within a quarter-mile of active wells that release pollutants like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter, and formaldehyde. The pollution disproportionately affects Black and Latino residents.

During a news conference on Wednesday morning, Martinez reiterated our dedication to environmental justice.

""Low-income communities of color have been disproportionately affected by neighborhood drilling for far too long, with frontline communities bearing the brunt of pollution and climate impacts from freeways to power plants," Martinez stated."

A study in the journal Environmental Research reveals that people living near oil and gas drilling sites are more likely to experience preterm births, asthma, respiratory disease, and cancer, as well as weakened lung function and wheezing.

"Jasmin Vargas, a senior organizer at Food & Water Watch, stated before the vote, "This goes beyond public health and safety; it's about justice too." She added, "Today marks a significant moment.""

The oil and gas industry has argued that banning and phasing out oil and gas will increase gas prices and harm jobs, while supporters have urged the city to replace fossil fuel jobs with clean energy jobs.

The California Independent Petroleum Association's chief executive officer, Rock Zierman, stated that the proposed measure would amount to "taking someone's property without compensation, particularly one that is legally permitted and heavily regulated."

Domestic energy production shutdown not only affects Californians' employment and tax revenue but also increases our reliance on imported oil from Saudi Arabia and Iraq, which is transported to LA's congested port, as stated by Zierman in an email to CNBC.

The third government entity in the county to enact an oil and gas prohibition is Los Angeles.

Last year, Culver City enacted an ordinance to end oil and gas extraction in its portion of the Inglewood Oil Field within five years, and the LA County Board of Supervisors banned new wells and phased out existing wells in unincorporated areas.

In October, California proposed a rule to prohibit new oil wells from being established within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, and populated areas, following decades of complaints from residents and activist groups. If enacted, the regulation would not affect existing wells in those areas but would mandate new pollution controls.