Gov. Newsom Joins Celebrities and Activists in Campaign Launch to Protect Law Limiting Oil Wells

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jane Fonda joined Gov. Gavin Newsom and environmental advocates in Los Angeles on Friday to launch a campaign to keep a 2022 law banning new oil and gas wells near homes, schools and hospitals.

The law bans new wells within 3,200 feet of certain community sites, and proponents say it will protect residents from the health impacts of pollution. It hasn’t taken effect since the oil industry qualified a referendum to ask voters to overturn it in November.

At a Los Angeles park with an oil pump jack in the background behind him, Newsom said keeping the law is a key part of advancing the state’s climate goals.

“Big Oil is the polluting heart of this climate crisis,” Newsom said. “Thank you for being here today, tomorrow, and thank you for being there on Election Day, when we send a powerful message — not just here in the state of California, but heard all across the United States.”

Newsom is backing a lawsuit claiming oil and gas companies deceived the public about the risks of fossil fuels. It’s part of his efforts to fortify California’s status as a climate leader as the state transitions away from fossil-fuel-powered cars, trucks and trains.

The California Independent Petroleum Association, which is pushing for voters to overturn the law, is concerned about how it will impact the oil and gas industry, which generates large amounts of state and local tax revenue.

Newsom signed a law last year that was partly inspired by oil industry tactics, which have come under scrutiny, to collect enough signatures to get the referendum on the ballot. The law requires top funders pushing a referendum proposal to overturn a law to be listed on voter information guides released by the state. It also requires a referendum on the ballot to ask voters to “keep the law” or “overturn the law,” a departure from asking them to vote “yes” to keep the law or “no” to block it.

Lawmakers introduced a bill last year that would have made oil companies pay up to $1 million to people with cancer or other health problems associated with a well, but the Senate Appropriations Committee blocked it.