Robert Besser
25 May 2023, 02:58 GMT+10
SACRAMENTO, California: California lawmakers have blocked an environmental bill that would have made oil companies liable for the health problems of people who live close to oil wells, and another bill that would have increased the state's emissions targets.
The two bills are among hundreds that did not survive the state's Legislature suspense file, a process where lawmakers decide on the bills that could become law later and the ones that should not progress without explanation.
In 2022, Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law banning the drilling of new oil wells within 3,200 feet of vulnerable areas, such as homes and schools, but the oil industry have placed a referendum on the 2024 ballot asking voters to overturn it, angering environmental and health activists.
Under the proposed bill, authored by Sen. Lena Gonzalez, oil companies would have been required to pay up to $1 million to people who have cancer or other health issues caused by the wells.
"Today, we missed a key opportunity to advance legislation that would hold polluters accountable and prevent further harm to families who are just trying to stay healthy and have a better quality of life," said Gonzalez in a statement.
The Senate Appropriations Committee also prevented the bill from reaching the floor of the Senate, meaning it is not likely to become law.
"The billions of dollars and the fiscal mess that this bill would have caused to the State and local governments from their own liabilities, the fiscal responsibility of inherited wells, and the cost to the court system, would be substantial," noted Kara Greene, spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Association, as quoted by the Associated Press.
This year, State Senator Henry Stern, a Los Angeles Democrat, introduced another failed bill that would have required the state to reduce green house emissions to 55 percent below the 1990 level by the end of 2030.
Get a daily dose of Sri Lanka Source news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Sri Lanka Source.
More InformationLONDON, UK: In a report released this week, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said that Singapore and Zurich tied for ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: This week, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it implemented a new aircraft certification policy, which requires ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: As businesses built more warehouses and accumulated machinery equipment, the U.S. economy grew faster than initially forecast in ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: This week, the White House said that Senior Biden administration officials met with the makers of respiratory syncytial ...
CHEYENNE, Wyoming: This week, the Biden administration raised US$3.4 million from a sale of oil and gas drilling rights in ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks extended their rally on Friday despite remarks by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell ...
Israel intensified its deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip Saturday as renewed fighting with Hamas entered a second day following ...
ARLINGTON, Virginia: This week, the conservative U.S. political network Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action), led by billionaire Charles Koch, ...
BEIJING, China: The Chaoyang District Intermediary Court in Beijing has begun compensation hearings for the Chinese relatives of those who ...
Israel resumed its military operation in the Gaza Strip on Friday with heavy bombardments. As strikes continue, the United States ...
LIVINGSTON, Kentucky: CSX railroad said that a failed wheel bearing on a train car caused a derailment on November 22 ...
HELSINKI, Finland: After Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) earlier this year, hundreds of migrants from the Middle ...