Save for later Print Download Share LinkedIn Twitter California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday directed his administration to take steps to phase out oil and natural gas drilling in one of the nation's top oil-producing states by 2045 and to ban new fracking permits within three years. Newsom has been under pressure from environmental activists and progressive politicians who say extraction of oil and gas is at odds with California's goals of moving away from fossil fuels and fighting climate change. "I’ve made it clear I don’t see a role for fracking in that future and, similarly, believe that California needs to move beyond oil," Newsom said in a statement. Oil production in California has declined steadily since the 1980s, partly because of tough environmental standards. But government data shows the state remains the seventh-biggest US crude oil producer, second-biggest oil consumer, and home to a tenth of US refining capacity (OD Mar.31'21). California's climate change policies also are among the most aggressive of any US state, including a goal to ban gasoline-powered cars by 2035 (OD Sep.23'20). Several green groups and Democratic lawmakers said the state needed to move more quickly to phase out drilling, while the oil and gas industry criticized the governor's announcement, as did some politicians who said the action would hurt drilling-dependent jobs and communities. The Western States Petroleum Association, in a statement, pledged "to fight this harmful and unlawful mandate." (Reuters)
