FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2022
Contact: Brandon Dawson, brandon.dawson@sierraclub.org
Sierra Club California Opposes Oil Industry-Backed Referendum to Repeal Senate Bill 1137, A Historic Health-Protective Law
Sacramento, CA - Today, Sierra Club California announced its opposition to the oil industry’s signature gathering effort to repeal Senate Bill 1137, a historic law banning new oil and gas production within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, and hospitals. SB 1137 was signed by Governor Newsom in September 2022 and is set to go into effect January 1, 2023. The law will protect frontline communities from toxic pollution associated with oil and gas drilling operations. If polluters are successful in gathering the 600,000+ signatures necessary, SB 1137’s implementation will be delayed, and it will be on the ballot for Californians to vote on in 2024. The oil industry has already poured over $9 million into the effort to repeal the law.
Nearly 3 million Californians live within 3,200 feet of toxic oil operations. SB 1137 will protect these communities from adverse health effects associated with oil and gas activities, including respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular disease, developmental abnormalities, poor pregnancy outcomes, and cancer. The passage of this law was the culmination of a decades-long battle led by environmental justice organizations and frontline communities.
The oil and gas industry has already contributed $7.6 million to legislative races this election cycle alone, nearly 1/5th of the total of all political spending in that time. Additionally, these polluting companies have poured millions into opposing environmental legislation like SB 1137 and other bills which would hold them accountable for poisoning Californian communities and harming our ecosystems.
Statement from Brandon Dawson, Sierra Club California Director:
“The oil and gas industry knows no bounds when it comes to putting profits over people and subverting the democratic process. California frontline communities have been fighting for protections from toxic oil and gas pollution for decades, and the setbacks mandated by SB 1137 will go a long way towards preserving those communities’ air quality and ecosystems.
“SB 1137 was decisively passed by a majority of both houses of the legislature and signed by the Governor. This referendum effort has nothing to do with lowering gas prices, as the oil and gas companies have claimed. This is a naked attempt by polluters to eschew their accountability for poisoning California’s most vulnerable communities. These communities - primarily black and brown and low income neighborhoods - already bear the greatest brunt of climate change impacts, and repealing SB 1137 will put them at even greater risk.”
Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory arm of Sierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California, representing half a million members and supporters.