Topline:
Culver City has reached a settlement with oil operator Sentinel Peak Resources to completely phase out oil drilling and plug old wells within the city’s portion of the Inglewood Oil Field by 2029. More than 1 million people live within five miles of the oil field.
The context: Culver City oversees about 78 acres of the 1,000-acre Inglewood oil field, the largest urban oil field in the U.S. The city passed an ordinance in 2021 to phase out all drilling by 2026, but that deadline was extended three years to 2029 as part of the settlement to avoid litigation. The rest of the Inglewood Oil Field is overseen by L.A. County, which passed an ordinance earlier this year to end new oil drilling and phase out existing drilling within 20 years.
Why it matters: Studies have shown that people who live near oil drilling — both active and inactive — are more susceptible to health issues such as asthma and cancer. At a global scale, oil and gas extraction and burning those fossil fuels for electricity and transportation is the single-largest cause of human-driven climate change.
What’s next: Under the settlement agreement, Culver City could extend the deadline under certain circumstances, but not beyond 2032. Both Los Angeles and L.A. County have faced legal challenges by oil operators in response to their phaseout ordinances. California, the nation’s 7th-largest oil-producing state, aims to phase out 90% of oil drilling by 2045.
Go Deeper:
Idle Oil Wells Are A Problem For Health And Climate. Who Should Pay For Cleaning Them Up?