California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara Endorses the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California to KEEP THE LAW Protecting Neighborhoods from Toxic Drilling
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California announced an endorsement from Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. Lara joins a growing list of supporters for the campaign, reinforcing the unified effort to KEEP an historic law (SB 1137) preventing toxic oil drilling in neighborhoods.
Commissioner Lara has been a staunch advocate for communities impacted by climate change. Lara also issued a report exposing fossil fuel investments by insurance companies as part of his overall strategy to protect Californians from climate-related environmental disasters.
“Toxic oil drilling in neighborhoods is a serious threat to the health and safety of our communities and the future of California,” said California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “I’m proud to stand with the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California to prioritize the health and safety of communities of color, who disproportionately suffer devastating health impacts from Big Oil’s dirty and unsafe practices.”
Big Oil has been working to repeal a law (SB 1137) that would make existing oil and gas wells safer by meeting tighter health and environmental requirements within 3,200 feet of neighborhoods, schools, daycare centers and healthcare facilities, and keeping new wells from being built in these areas. To try and overturn this public safety law, oil companies have placed a deceptive measure on the November 2024 ballot.
Nearly 30,000 oil and gas wells in California sit within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, hospitals and other public areas, exposing nearly 3 million people, disproportionately
communities of color, to emissions that can cause birth defects, respiratory illnesses and cancer. An independent scientific advisory panel in 2021 advised California officials that a 3,200-foot setback between oil wells and sensitive receptors is the minimum distance to protect public health.
“KEEP THE LAW” Campaign endorsers include public health groups, community and faith organizations, and environmental justice leaders from across California, working to hold oil companies accountable for creating a public health crisis, especially for communities of color.
Press Contact:Robin Swanson, robin@swansoncomm.net