For the last 150 years, oil made California rich.
Near Newhall, the site of the first oil gusher in 1876, followed by fields in Huntington Beach, Long Beach, northeast Los Angeles, Montebello, Santa Fe Springs/Whittier and Inglewood, the black crude brought jobs, prosperity and growth to Southern California.
More recently, many wells have stopped producing but have not been properly capped, often emitting hazardous gases that caused nosebleeds, nausea and respiratory problems. These have been linked to cancer for long-term exposure, according to state and county reports.
In California, 30,000 wells are abandoned; of those 1,850 remain idle or abandoned in Los Angeles County, according to a 2018 report from the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
A Pasadena lawmaker has authored a bill that will tell the public what kinds of gases are leaking from these wells and in what amounts, a transparency law that piggy-backs onto 2018 rules to expedite cleanup of old gas and oil wells.
Assemblyman Chris Holden’s bill prioritizes spent wells 100 to 300 feet from residential neighborhoods, he said.
“When you have these type of facilities in close proximity with residential neighborhoods, we have to go above and beyond. This is where we need to do more,” Holden, author of Assembly Bill 1328, said during an interview Tuesday.
When the Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, known as DOGGR, caps wells over the next several years, it does not have to report the kinds of gases emitted and the amounts, either before remediation work begins, during or after.
Holden, D-Pasadena, wants that emissions data made available through a public website for agencies that keep track of air pollution, greenhouse gases and individuals who may be affected.
“Companies across California will be plugging thousands of old oil and gas wells over the next decade – it only makes sense for emissions reporting to be part of this process,” said Tim O’Connor, senior director of the Environmental Defense Fund, a conservative-leaning group that strives for balance between industry and the environment.
“Access to pollution data is critical for California to understand the progress we’re making today to reduce emissions, and to prioritize where we can make even more progress reducing pollution in the future,” O’Connor said in prepared remarks.
Sometimes well owners want to plug old wells to make room for development or alleviate residential concerns. But the filling of old wells can stir up emissions that then become airborne during the cleanup.
For example, in July 2016, residents near two wells being plugged at 323 and 324 Firmin St. in Echo Park, a neighborhood north of downtown Los Angeles, complained of rotten egg smells and petroleum odors, while one resident said she found black soot inside her home, L.A. County reported. The elderly and parents on behalf of young children filed complaints.
While the South Coast Air Quality Management District said the release of methane and hydrogen sulfide did not pose a health threat, noise, dust and diesel emissions associated with the plugging of the wells did pose long-term health risks.
Some said their doctors prescribed new medications as a result of respiratory conditions that worsened. The conditions reported from residents on Firmin Street included: headaches, nausea, vomiting, skin rashes and eye and throat irritations.
A third well located across the street at 314 Firmin St. was left idle. The owner received eight violations, some for leaks and spills in the summer of 2016, according to the report. On Nov. 4, 2017, a release of crude oil from a pipe connecting to this well located in the backyard of two homes was reported by the Health Department. Many residents were evacuated and given relocation assistance, the report stated.
On Tuesday, two men directing a cleanup crew at the residence declined to talk to a reporter. Others on the block said they had only lived there a year or so and were unaware of any issues with the old oil wells located near their homes.
In January, an old oil well in Marina Del Rey experienced a release during well remediation work, according to Holden’s office.
John Young, who lives very close to 19 oil wells in the northwest Whittier Hills, said he is concerned about what is being released from idle and abandoned wells in Santa Fe Springs and Whittier.
“I am certain there are wells leaking in the (Whittier) hills and absolutely nobody is looking at them now. If Mr. Holden’s bill passes, we will find out if something is coming out,” he said during an interview Monday.
“There has to be some sort of a watchdog on this,” he said.
The bill is similar to one that fell a few votes shy of passage last year, Holden said. The new bill has not yet been assigned to a committee.