California Faces Lawsuit Over Unconstitutional Property Seizure Under Senate Bill 1137

The bill was also pushed through without any scientific basis to support it. None of the so-called studies the State Legislature pointed to as supporting the bill show that being within 3,200 feet of a well is harmful to a person’s health. The State Legislature slap-dash job here, one of the studies it tried to rely on was written after SB 1137 was adopted.

For hundreds of thousands of royalty and mineral rights owners throughout California, this law threatens their livelihoods, devastates property values, and pushes California toward increased reliance on foreign oil from countries notorious for human rights abuses and weak labor and environmental protections.

“My sister Merry and I were both born in Long Beach. We are third generation mineral owners going back to when my grandfather moved here from Minnesota and acquired mineral rights for our family in 1929. Royalties helped put my children through college, and I’d like them to be around as a legacy for my grandchildren,” said Monte Beard Sr., one of the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “State officials can’t simply take those royalties away from people at their political whim.”

Beard added, “I worked my whole career in the financial services office in the City of Long Beach and I have seen how important royalty income is to municipalities and hardworking California families. Royalties built many of the municipal buildings in the region, including the Long Beach Convention Center and Civic Center City Hall.”

“We all look forward to a clean energy future, and we need environmentally compliant, labor-friendly California-produced oil to get there. SB 1137 prevents this. This lawsuit isn’t just a legal fight. It’s a moral imperative,” said Kevin Ivey, a royalty owner directly impacted by SB 1137. “Royalty and mineral rights owners refuse to stand by as Sacramento legislators rob us of our property rights, destroy our livelihoods, and hand over our energy future to hostile foreign adversaries. We think California consumers agree.”

SB 1137 poses a significant threat to California’s economy by driving up energy costs and jeopardizing local oil and gas jobs. It will increase reliance on oil imports from Saudi Arabia, South America, and Iraq, countries exempt from any environmental rules or regulations. While Californians continue to use petroleum products at the same level as they always have, the state will continue to pay more for imported oil, leading to higher gas prices.

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.

The lawsuit 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.

The plaintiffs seek immediate relief through the courts to halt the devastating impact of SB 1137 and restore property rights, economic stability, and energy independence to Californians.