California Governor Signs Sweeping Energy, Climate Measures

On September 16, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) signed a sweeping package of climate and energy-related legislation into law. In addition to reducing state oil consumption by 91 percent over the next two decades, the governor said the measures would create four million new jobs, cut air pollution by 60 percent, and reduce fossil fuel use in buildings and transportation by 92 percent.

The package includes efforts to:

• Establish a setback distance of 3,200 feet between any new oil well and homes, schools, parks, or businesses open to the public;
• Ensure comprehensive pollution controls for existing oil wells within 3,200 feet of the above-mentioned facilities;
• Establish a clear, legally binding, and achievable goal for California to reach statewide carbon neutrality no later than 2045;
• Advance engineered technologies to remove carbon pollution;
• Establish a clear regulatory framework for carbon removal and carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration;
• Ban the practice of injecting carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery; and
• Require the state to develop an achievable carbon removal target for natural and working lands.

The new measures come two weeks after Gov. Newsom announced a plan to ban the sale of all gas-powered cars in California by 2035. Read more about that initiative here.