rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/support-ab-345-californias-2500-health-safety-buffer-zone?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-support-ab-345-californias-2500-health-safety-buffer-zone' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> VISION CA https://actionnetwork.org/groups/vision-ca https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/petitions/photos/000/129/887/normal/Vision2.png Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (District 66: Torrance/Southern California) has announced Assembly Bill 345, a common sense measure that helps protect millions of Californians, mostly people of color, living near an oil or gas well by establishing a 2500-foot health and safety zone. This bill is an important opportunity to provide immediate health protections for overburdened environmental justice communities and to put California on the path toward a just transition away from fossil fuel extraction. Of the approximately 5.4 million living within a mile of oil and gas wells, one-third live in areas of the State most burdened by environmental pollution and 92% of Californians living in these heavily burdened neighborhoods are people of color. We strongly support AB 345 because it will address the environmental racism that many communities across California are facing due to their proximity to oil and gas wells that harm their health. Our local air monitoring efforts and site visits with Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) cameras have captured numerous leaks that are exposing people living, working, and playing nearby to dangerous levels of toxic air contaminants. Due to local authorities’ favoritism of the oil industry, state action is long overdue to directly address the health harms and safety risks from oil and gas wells,” said Nayamín Martinez, Director of the Central California Environmental Justice Network (CCEJN). Ultimately, California should be leader in planning a just transition off fossil fuels that provides for workers and protects public health. AB 345 is a crucial step toward providing immediate protections for some of the most impacted environmental justice communities in the state. What the bill does: • Directs DOGGR to only issue new permits for oil and gas operations with a 2,500 foot health and safety setback from sensitive receptors (schools, day care centers, residential homes, and hospitals) as a minimum distance, while allowing local authorities to set stricter requirements. • Any work operators do to increase the life and production of the well would require a new permit and would fall under this statute requiring a 2,500 foot buffer; this does not include routine maintenance. • The bill contains an avenue for due process of O&G operators who can appeal the 2,500 ft requirement if they cannot access their mineral rights. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/support-ab-345-californias-2500-health-safety-buffer-zone