June 26, 2024
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| Statue of oil workers in Signal Hill. The era of oil in our communities is coming to an end. Photo Credit: Bo Hakala |
It is with so much excitement and gratitude that I get to share historic news: Big oil has officially pulled their referendum in California, and SB1137, the bill we won in 2022 to end neighborhood drilling, went into effect last week! Read on for what we need to win next.
As a reminder: SB1137 bans oil drilling within 3200ft of homes, schools, parks, hospitals, and other places where people live, work, and play. The bill also bans rework permits for all existing wells within this distance, effectively ending neighborhood drilling going forward.
In a spectacular victory for environmental justice, communities across California defeated oil and gas giants before they even made it to the ballot. This is in spite of the fact that the fossil fuel industry spent almost $61 million dollars trying to repeal the law. As part of their campaign, oil executives used underhanded tactics such as lying to voters to get their referendum on the ballot. Sierra Club and our environmental justice partners have worked for years to ensure that Californians understand the dangers of neighborhood drilling and have the power to fight the oil industry’s threats to our communities.
Here in the LA area we led the fight, first in Culver City, and then in the city of LA and the county of LA, and this year in Signal Hill. We knocked over 1000 doors in the city of Signal Hill, and the community went from unaware to highly engaged trying to stop a big oil expansion. With this victory, Signal Hill’s expansion is dead in its tracks.
Despite this victory, our work is not yet done. Right now we’re facing daily and rapidly approaching threats. Foes like Signal Hill Petroleum (SHP) have significant resources, which they are very likely to use to sue the state of California and to try to shift public perception by greenwashing their deadly greed. But with your support our impact can continue to be powerful!
Our goal this summer is to raise at least $20,000 – with every dollar being put to work immediately on the following key objectives:
- Cap and clean-up drill sites - and make sure this is paid for by Big Oil and not by taxpayers
- Ensure that drilling expansion restrictions are fully adhered to - our lawyers and activists will work to close any loopholes that they find.
- Transform idle sites by listening to communities
- Support the just transition of workers from Big Oil into sustainable, green jobs
- The Angeles Chapter is fighting to clean up idle oil wells and hold LA and Orange County accountable for its commitment to end oil drilling. The focus of our work ahead is ambitious and we cannot do it alone. We have seen what donors like you can do to help transform our energy systems and protect vulnerable communities.
We set a big fundraising goal because we know how much it will take to reach the finish line. Your donation can - and will - give a lot of power to our momentum.
We’re not going to stop organizing, educating, and fighting until our communities are safe from oil drilling. We are dedicated to the responsible stewardship of the earth's ecosystems and resources, educating and mobilizing people to protect and restore both the natural and human environments, and employing all lawful methods to achieve these goals. This is how we win, as long as we keep at it.
Your contribution, large or small, fuels our capacity to ensure real, lasting change.
Please go to sc.org/AngNow2024 to join us in our biggest push against Big Oil.
Together, let’s finish the job. Thank you for investing in our local work—100% of giving stays here in Los Angeles and Orange County! Your contribution is the key to a cleaner, greener world!
Photo by Bo Hakala