Los Angeles has approved a plan to phase out roughly 600 active oil wells and prevent about 1,200 idle wells from restarting, following years of residents pushing to end drilling near their homes.
Here's what to know
Mayor Karen Bass has signed the measure, and no larger United States city has adopted a phaseout of operating oil wells.
The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance prohibiting new oil and gas drilling and giving existing production a 20-year phaseout period, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Routine maintenance and servicing can continue during the phaseout, but operators cannot expand, deepen, or redrill their wells. Under the ordinance, existing operations fall into the zoning category of "nonconforming use."
Following the city's earlier courtroom defeat, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3233 to give local governments explicit power over oil and gas regulation. A ban passed in 2022 was struck down in 2024 after producers challenged the city's authority.
Another court fight is expected. Warren Resources, which led the earlier lawsuit, argues that the ordinance unlawfully takes property and violates the rights of business and royalty owners.
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More background
Most wells in Los Angeles are in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods, where residents have long raised concerns about the health consequences of nearby drilling, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Oil wells can emit cancer-causing pollutants, and studies have linked them to breathing difficulties, throat irritation, headaches, and other health effects.
Ashley Hernandez, an organizer with Communities for a Better Environment who lives in Wilmington, described black soot collecting on windowsills and foul odors lingering on neighborhood streets. She said residents have experienced serious illnesses, including asthma and cancer.
The phaseout also carries economic implications for the thousands of people who receive oil royalty checks.
Rock Zierman, who heads the California Independent Petroleum Assn., warned that the ban would increase reliance on imported oil, raise gasoline prices, and reduce jobs and tax revenue.
According to the city's dashboard, Warren Resources, Tidelands Oil Production Co., and E&B Natural Resources Management Corp. together operate about two-thirds of active wells, the Los Angeles Times reported.
What's being done?
Bass' Climate Action Plan calls for ending urban oil production while remediating drilling sites so they can be safely converted to housing, parks, or other community amenities.
Councilmember Traci Park noted that Los Angeles has also set a 2035 target for entirely clean electricity and is investing in wind and solar, according to the Los Angeles Times. The report describes no specific assistance for workers or royalty recipients affected by the phaseout.
Most of the Wilmington oil field lies beneath Long Beach, outside the city's jurisdiction. Much of the Inglewood oil field falls under Los Angeles County, which has pursued similar phaseout steps in unincorporated areas.
"This is environmental racism in action," Hernandez said, per the Los Angeles Times. "But today, the City Council made it possible for us to write a different story for our communities, our health and our future."
Where can I learn more?
Los Angeles' oil phaseout is one of several California battles over drilling, fossil fuel infrastructure, and local control.
• Santa Barbara County voted to ban new onshore drilling, with a legal fight looming.
• Hundreds joined hands along California's coast to oppose new offshore oil drilling.
• Los Angeles environmentalists sued over an $800 million hydrogen plan for the city's biggest gas plant.
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