An environmental activist organization is suing California for approving more than a dozen oil and gas wells in Los Angeles and Kern counties, claiming the wells would harm the health of its members.
The Center for Biological Diversity, a national nonprofit that routinely uses the court system to reach its environmental goals, sued the state’s oil regulators and two energy companies Dec. 1.
The lawsuit asks the Alameda County Superior Court to vacate the recent approvals to drill the wells and prevent further approvals until more environmental reviews are done, among other actions.
“Regulators need to examine the serious threats from these wells to people’s health, our air and water, and dwindling habitat for wildlife,” said Liz Jones, an attorney at the center’s Climate Law Institute. “It’s ridiculous for them to approve these wells and pretend there won’t be serious consequences.”…