Additional Coverage:
- Oil field owner sues California over law that would end its Los Angeles-area operations (newsbreak.com)
Sentinel Peak, the owner of the Inglewood Oil Field, is suing California over a new law that requires them to shut down or plug their wells.
The company claims the law is unconstitutional and violates their right to operate their legal business. They argue that the mandatory fines for operating low-producing wells are excessive and have no limit or relation to any actual harm.
The law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, aims to reduce pollution by giving local governments more authority to restrict oil and gas operations. The Inglewood field has around 820 unplugged wells, 420 of which are actively pumping.
Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, who authored the law, vowed to defend it. He believes the law is necessary to protect communities near the oil field who have long been affected by pollution.