The Los Angeles region, one of the nation’s most diverse and densely populated urban areas, is also home to the country’s largest urban oil field. More than 24,000 active, idle, or abandoned wells are located in Los Angeles County. But a stark inequity exists, as oil and gas drilling sites are disproportionately closer to Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and low-income communities. These communities suffer the brunt of environmental health issues caused by living in proximity to oil wells, which can include respiratory ailments, neurological distress (fatigue and headaches), increased risk of cancer, and preterm birth or premature death.
Senate Bill 1137 was passed in 2022 to reduce these health impacts and provide increased protection for communities surrounding oil wells by prohibiting new oil wells from being developed within 3,200 feet of sensitive areas – such as houses, schools, medical facilities, and nursing homes. The bill would also require stronger regulation of existing wells in these buffer zones, such as requirements for installing leak detection systems. However, the California Independent Petroleum Association has led a campaign to add the bill to the next ballot as a veto referendum. CIPA has claimed that limiting oil drilling in California would increase gas prices to $10 per gallon and that high-paying oil industry jobs would be lost. Our team will work with Esperanza Community Housing, a South Central Los Angeles-based social justice organization, to examine perspectives toward oil and gas drilling in the Los Angeles region among potential voters, focusing on attitudes toward SB1137. We aim to identify the factors that influence views about oil drilling near homes and schools, and to assist in educating Californians about Senate Bill 1137 by assessing and providing accurate, nonpartisan information about the potential health and economic impacts of the Bill.
Student team: Julian Covarrubias, India Davis, Anya Desai, Hennessy Martinez, Isabella McRae, Jasmine Nuyen, Claire Rutenberg, and Julia Vadehra
Client: Esperanza Community Housing
Advisor: Professor Alesia Montgomery