Some drilling is in ‘public health protection zones’ while pending from the oil lobby continues to soar
Permit approvals for drilling new oil wells in California were falling in 2025, a trend that followed numerous demonstrations from environmental groups in the heart of Sacramento. Yet in the first few weeks of January 2026 alone, California oil regulators issued more new drilling permits than they did for all of 2025, according to a new analysis from Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance.
The previous year, permit approvals fell to 17 from 73 in 2024. But in January, the California Energy Management Division, or CalGEM, bested that number by approving 20 new drilling permits…