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LA County sues oil companies for unplugged wells in Inglewood Oil Field
An oil pumpjack in the Inglewood Oil Field, which sits near the neighborhoods of Baldwin Hills, View Park and near homes in the Inglewood Oil Field, Los Angeles, California.
(
Gary Kavanagh
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iStockphoto
)
Topline:
L.A. County has sued four oil companies operating, or who have operated, in the Inglewood Oil Field near Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights, alleging they’ve failed to properly clean up hundreds of depleted and idle wells.
What the lawsuit says: The county alleged in the court filing Wednesday that the companies have failed to properly plug more than 200 idle or depleted wells, which are prone to leaking dangerous chemicals such as benzene. That harms the health of more than 1 million Angelenos who live within 5 miles, the county says.
The background: The lawsuit is part of ongoing efforts by the county (as well as the city of L.A. and Culver City) to phase out oil drilling over the next two decades. Both the city and county of L.A. passed ordinances in recent years to phase out urban drilling. Those were later overturned after lawsuits against them were won by oil companies.
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“Every time a law has been passed or the county has adopted an ordinance, the oil company, instead of complying, they've filed lawsuits and they've dragged it out in court,” said assistant county counsel Scott Kuhn. “So now we're moving forward with a litigation effort.”
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Oil company's response: Erin Gleaton, general counsel for Sentinel Peak Resources, which is the current operator of the Inglewood Oil Field, told LAist that the lawsuit's claims "are entirely without merit. This suit appears to be an attempt to generate sensationalized publicity rather than adjudicate a legitimate legal matter. We have full confidence in our position, supported by the facts and our record of regulatory compliance."
What’s next: LAist has reached out to the other three oil companies named in the suit for comment. They include Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas; Plains Resources; and Chevron, all of which were past operators. Chevron declined to comment.
If the companies don’t plug the wells, taxpayers will be on the hook.
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