SACRAMENTO, Calif. , May 24, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Legislation holding oil drillers liable for
health harms caused by their wells within a half mile of a
community failed to come up for a vote on the Assembly floor by the
deadline for bills to move to the Senate.
AB 3155 (Friedman) would have held oil drillers legally
accountable for birth defects, cancer, and respiratory problems in
people who live within a half mile of an oil well that doesn't use
the most protective leak control technology that is commercially
available.
Chevron spent $3 million
lobbying in the first quarter and AB 3155 is the only bill it
took a public position against according to CalMatters.
Illnesses and absences in the Assembly, in addition to oil
industry lobbying, prevented the author and backers from finding 40
committed votes for AB 3155, what is required by Assembly
leadership to bring legislation up on the floor.
"It's disappointing that Assembly members were not required to
take a vote on this measure and go on the record about whether they
stood with Chevron or communities impacted by their drilling," said
Jamie Court, president of Consumer
Watchdog. "There's no question Big Oil's lobbying weakened support
for this measure, but you never know how legislators will vote
until you put them on the spot. It's troubling that the public
won't have a chance to know where their elected leaders stand on a
measure of this import to communities across the state impacted by
oil drilling."
More than 2.7 million Californians live within 3,200 feet of an
existing operational oil or gas well. AB 3155 creates a presumption
of liability for illnesses linked to drilling that can be rebutted
if the company uses the best pollution control technology or can
prove the health problems were caused another way.
A state scientific panel for CALGEM found a link between
birth defects and respiratory problems and living within the
setback zone. 5 of the top 12 most common toxins at LA oil drilling
sites are carcinogens.
64 environmental, consumer and public interest groups came out
for AB 3155, sponsored by Consumer Watchdog and the Center for
Race, Poverty and the Environment.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bill-to-hold-oil-drillers-legally-liable-fails-to-come-up-for-vote-say-consumer-watchdog-302155555.html
SOURCE Consumer Watchdog