Oil rigs in the sunset. (Photo: Thaiview/Shutterstock)
California Governor Creating Energy Poverty with 3,200-foot Setbacks Around Oil and Gas Wells
Even Elon Musk knows 52% of his cars are plastic and therefore the US needs more oil and gas production, not less
By Katy Grimes, April 17, 2025 12:01 pm
As of 2024, more than 1 out of 6 households, or 21.12 million Americans are behind in energy bill payments. In California, energy poverty is real and pushes people further down into poverty.
The Globe reported Wednesday on a new lawsuit of California mineral owners filed Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1137, a law that authorizes the unprecedented and unlawful seizure of property rights for everyday Californians.
California mineral owners own the underground mineral rights where oil and gas are produced. Royalty owners receive royalty income from the lease of mineral interests and, in exchange, receive a royalty income.
SB 1137, which took effect on June 27, 2024, bans the construction of new oil wells and the maintenance or repair of existing wells within 3,200 feet of loosely defined “sensitive receptors,” potentially threatening to shut down energy resource infrastructure statewide. SB 1137 was pushed through the California State Legislature in the final days of session in 2022 with little public debate or review.
The Globe reported in 2022 on Senate Bill 1137, gut-and-amend legislation by Democrat Senators Lena Gonzalez and Monique Limón, to require 3,200-foot mandatory setbacks around California oil and gas wells:
Really disconcerting is “the bill would authorize the State Air Resources Board, and the State Water Resources Control Board to prescribe, adopt, and enforce any emergency regulations as necessary to implement, administer, and enforce these duties.”
Why now when oil production has responsibly occurred in Los Angeles County and around the state for more than 100 years?
Just in the City of Los Angeles:
-
- there are 26 oil and gas fields that intersect city boundaries, and 5,229 oil and gas wells, according to the CA DOGGR and verified by the City’s Petroleum Administrator.
- There are approximately 819 active, 296 idle, 3,181 plugged, and 933 buried wells.
- There are oil and gas facilities in nearly every section of the 503 square miles of the City.
- The City of Los Angeles produces 2% of California’s total production.
Requiring a 3,200 foot setback would impose a ban on all of Los Angeles’ oil wells, and drive up the cost of oil and gas in the state, we warned.
In 1988, the state of California only imported about 4.5% of all the oil that we consumed in our state. By 2020 we were importing over 70%. “If you wonder what happens when you give up energy independence, that’s what’s going on,” Dave Noerr, then Mayor of Taft, CA and President and CEO of Huddleston Crane Service told the Globe.
Noerr said if the the Governor, lawmakers and the State of California force oil wells to close down because of the 3,200 feet osetback, California would sink into energy poverty – and especially the underserved, people of color and the poor who can’t afford solar rooftop systems, or expensive electric cars.
But that doesn’t seem to concern the private jet class or political elites.
“‘Energy poverty’ is a widespread problem across Europe, as between 50 and 125 million people* are unable to afford proper indoor thermal comfort,” the European Union explains. Energy poverty occurs when energy bills cost a high percentage of household income, affecting the ability to pay other household expenses. It also occurs when, as the EU said, consumers are forced to reduce the energy consumption of their households, affecting their health and well-being.
Energy costs in Europe is expected to increase by 1000% almost immediately: Oil prices have doubled, coal prices have quadrupled, and natural gas have increased by seven times.
Noerr noted that it’s the green policies imposed by California, including surcharges, taxes and fees, that are causing the cost of energy to skyrocket – which is what the green energy proponents want. Banning oil fields would only greatly exacerbate the problem straight into a full crisis as we are seeing in real time in Europe.
“The rush to go green in Europe is a fantasy,” Noerr said. In its attempt to build “a climate-friendly future,” Europe has shunned oil, natural gas, and nuclear power, to its own detriment – and is now paying 80% higher energy bills.
The lawsuit California mineral owners (plaintiffs) are working to fix the severe economic consequences political agendas and overreach inflict on everyday Californians, especially small royalty owners and mineral owners leasing their land who live on a fixed income.
Noerr added “Even Elon Musk knows 52% of his cars are plastic.” So even Elon Musk knows we need more oil and gas production. Musk told CNBC: “Realistically I think we need to use oil and gas in the short term, because otherwise civilization will crumble.”
RELATED ARTICLES
-
-
February 18, 2025 -
This is fits the Democrat’s new motto, “Don’t pump oil out of the ground. Run the state into the ground.”
Somewhere, the World Economic Forum “leadership” is grinning like Cheshire-cats at this move, designed to crash the California economy….
But… but… Klaus Schwab praised Gavin Newsom as a World Economic Forum ‘Young Global Leader’.
I thought he LIKED Gavin Newsom and California!
I’m so confused.
CriticalDfence9, I agree with your comments about crashing California’s economy. We already hear Newsom talking about economic troubles ahead. If that were to happen It would bring down the US economy as well. Finally, they would be able to “get” Trump. They would throw everyone under the bus including their grandmother to realize that goal. These folks on the establishment side are pure evil. This is boiling down to a real battle for the future of good versus evil. Good needs to continue to fight the good fight of faith. Good will prevail and we will see these knuckleheads in the establishment fall.
“Good will prevail and we will see these knuckleheads in the establishment fall.”
Hal, here is one of the heavy-weight (literally) knuckleheads that is about to fall. God willing, more to come: Letitia James.
https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2025-04/FHFALetitiaJamesReferralLetter_0.pdf
“[Mayor of Taft, CA Dave] Noerr said if the Governor, lawmakers and the State of California force oil wells to close down because of the 3,200 feet osetback, California would sink into energy poverty – and especially the underserved, people of color and the poor who can’t afford solar rooftop systems, or expensive electric cars.”
If this outrageous and purposeful destruction (and theft) of energy resources courtesy of our AWFUL governor, legislature, and privileged political elites doesn’t enrage you, nothing will. How DARE they have even thought to do this, and of course the ridiculous CA Dem-Marxist politicians knew there would be major outrage and blowback from this 2022 legislation in the first place because it came to us in the form of a last-minute “gut-and-amend” bill. The “gut-and-amend” process is such a sneaky lowdown way of passing legislation we would likely have had more of a chance against it if they had tried to sneak and pass it on Christmas Day, for crying out loud.
Thank goodness for these plaintiffs who, in rightly attempting to claw back their own interests are also greatly helping us all. The law sounds extremely vague and because of the takings and other outrages, it sounds as though it WILL be found unconstitutional and the plaintiffs will prevail.
Fingers crossed.
This is ANOTHER example and is just one more reason to stop voting for and work to rid us of these lunatic Dem-Marxists, whether for governor or legislature or board of supervisors or city council. They are DETERMINED to ruin us and destroy us.
Best of luck to the plaintiffs in this lawsuit.
Curtailing your mobility and life’s pleasures the objective
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/04/18/should-california-drivers-get-charged-by-the-mile-a-pilot-program-is-looking-into-it/
It’s outrageous that Senate Bill 1137, authored by Democrat Senator Lena A. Gonzalez, passed in the legislative by Democrats and then signed into law by Gavin Newsom, would authorize the unprecedented and unlawful seizure of property rights for everyday Californians.
Gavin “Hair-gel Hitler” Newsom and the criminal Democrat thug mafia that controls California are intentionally driving the oil and gas industry out of the state hoping that petroleum products will be so expensive and in such short supply that many Californians will have switch to EVs (made by Newsom’s CCP cronies in China) or be forced to ride dangerous public transit where criminals and mentally ill homeless are allowed free reign by Democrats. They’re demonic!
Interestingly enough, this state leadership believes it is just fine to import dirty oil from a Marxist country Venezuela!
Calizuela depends upon oil from its sister Marxist state!
This highlights Newsolini’s temper tantrums on Trump Tariffs. Trump will impose 25% tariffs on dirty Venezuelan oil. Hmmm, how will that fare for California.
Let that sink in. This has nothing to do with the health and safety of California residents. Again, it’s about power and control over the people just like the communists in Venezuela.
And forgive my drum beating but the Venezuela government is the western hemisphere communist partner of the CCP. The CCP owns our Dem-Marxist state government as well.
The lemmings who vote for them must wake up to this sad reality. Read history, look at their actions. The actions are destructive to free will! Our God given free will.
Raymond’s post should give us hope.
Good will destroy evil. The question is will it happen sooner than later. Only God knows.
Happy Easter.
Newsom would rather see California burn then to increase gas production.