April 4, 2022
If you take only one action to save the planet this April, start with this...
In April, if you only do one thing, please add your name to the list of supporters encouraging Long Beach to join Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles to ban new drilling and phase out existing drilling.
This new campaign needs your support. Our experience is that when a campaign starts it needs extra effort to get to 50% of its goal, some effort to get to 80% and then often it is easier to get the general public to embrace a campaign that seems to have broad support.
Why This Matters
For decades, Long Beach’s oil industry has been given free rein to drill for health-harming fossil fuels in the center of our communities. There are oil wells in our backyards, on school campuses, and next to our hospitals. Long Beach residents living near oil wells are exposed to carcinogenic chemicals, asthma attack-inducing emissions, and the threat of catastrophic accidents or explosions.
Los Angeles County and Los Angeles City have both voted to ban new oil drilling and phase out existing oil drilling. It’s far past time for Long Beach to follow suit and establish rules to protect public health from oil extraction. Our leaders must commit to real solutions that protect residents' health, create pathways for workers to transition into the work of decommissioning these sites, transition workers into dignified family-supporting jobs and end this extractive practice once and for all. It’s time for bold action to transition away from fossil fuels in Long Beach!
Right now, Long Beach decision-makers have the opportunity to proactively work towards mitigating the climate crisis by phasing out oil drilling citywide. In the next couple of weeks, a measure could go in front of the Long Beach City Council to determine whether Long Beach will follow LA County’s lead by (1) declaring oil drilling a non-conforming land use and (2) establishing a 5-year phase-out period for all drilling.