A last-minute legislative deal being proposed in Sacramento would allow increased oil drilling in California, while putting additional restrictions on efforts to restart oil drilling operations on the coast.
It’s being called a compromise, but both the oil industry and the environmental community have issues with parts of it.
Political observers say they expect the State Assembly to SB 237, and the Gov. Gavin Newsom has already said he’ll sign it.
Supporters say it’s an effort to help meet the state’s fossil fuel needs until more sustainable energy sources are in place.
It would allow 2,000 new oil wells in Kern County oil fields.
However, it would also add language that might help in the fight against efforts to restart an oil pipeline that ruptured on the Gaviota Coast in 2015. The rupture caused a more than 140,000-gallon crude oil spill.
Sable Offshore Corporation hopes to secure final state approval to restart the repaired pipeline and resume oil production from three offshore oil platforms.
Environmental groups say more studies are necessary, and the decades-old system could rupture again.
The legislation contains language that requires offshore oil production to use pipelines with the best available technology. It would also require the Sable to go through a comprehensive review process to get a coastal development permit before it could resume operation.
