Jessica Gable, 352-514-2927, jessica.gable@sierraclub.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LONG BEACH, CA – After a vote by the State Lands Commission and vocal concerns from environmental justice advocates, the controversial Long Beach Program Plan is headed back to the drawing board. Commissioners rejected the plan and sent it back to the Long Beach City Council with eight suggested revisions, including strengthening protections for communities already burdened by fossil fuel pollution and compliance with SB 1137’s health and safety setbacks. The Plan Program as written includes provisions for re-drilling existing oil wells and expanding drilling within that setback zone. While that law won’t be implemented until it passes a referendum vote in 2024, the Program Plan crafted by the City of Long Beach assumes it won’t be implemented at all.
Community members noted that the contracts between the State Lands Commission and City of Long Beach — which date back to 1965 — are outdated and unclear. For example, while the SLC suggested revisions, there is no clear timeline for Long Beach to implement them.
"As a resident that grew up in West Long Beach and developed asthma only a year after immigrating to the city of Long Beach, I know firsthand the urgency of why we need to transition out of oil and gas production," said Jan Victor Andasan, community organizer at East Yards Communities for Environmental Justice. "The State Lands Commission sending this plan back and asking for more details on what impacts the Long Beach Unit plan will have is a signal that we can start to prioritize people, not profit. We can defend the land so that we all can breathe cleaner air and live in healthier environments. The fight is far from over. La lucha sigue. The fight continues.”
“Long Beach’s Program Plan for oil drilling has a long way to go before it’s even close to acceptable,” said Nicole Levin, Dirty Fuels campaign representative for Sierra Club. “The State Lands Commission’s revisions are a good first step, but fall far short of the action demanded by the urgency of our climate crisis and the many communities whose health is at risk from oil drilling. We believe that the state does have the authority to demand these changes outright, instead of punting them back to the City of Long Beach to potentially ignore.”
“At least the State Lands Commission understands we can’t keep ignoring the climate crisis, but these recommended changes don’t go far enough to stem oil drilling harms. Now we need Long Beach to commit to substantive action, not just talk,” said Brady Bradshaw, a senior campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If we’re going to bring greenhouse pollution down, we have to stop drilling and start prioritizing the health and safety of the people and wildlife in California.”
After announcing the Plan, the Long Beach City Council faced sharp criticism from environmental justice and climate advocates, who questioned the Energy Resources’ mission to “maximize oil production and profit.” Advocates pointed out that the five year plan passed by Long Beach, which increases production eight percent from the previous five year plan, is incongruous with the City’s previous call for a 2035 “phaseout.”
The Plan also serves as a stark reminder that despite the strong oil phaseout timelines of neighboring Los Angeles and Culver City, Long Beach thus far has lacked the same commitment to climate action and public health.
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.