SACRAMENTO, CA (March 14, 2023)–In response to the news that the California agency in charge of overseeing oil and gas industry, CalGEM has approved 338 rework permits near neighborhoods in California since March 1, Greenpeace USA Senior Climate Campaigner Amy Moas, Ph.D., said:
“Last month it was illegal for California to approve any kind of oil drilling permit in neighborhoods because of the toxic health impacts. But the oil industry dumped more than $20 million into a referendum to pause this law and buy their way onto the ballot in 2024. Just weeks later, the industry is being rewarded with hundreds of shiny new permits for oil and gas work dangerously close to neighborhoods. This is nonsensical. Governor Newsom appears to be standing up to Big Oil by signing SB1137 last year and attempting to pass a price gouging penalty, so why is he still quietly approving their requests for new permits that will lock frontline communities into a toxic future?”
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Contact: Katie Nelson, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, [email protected], +1 (678) 644-1681
