California Teachers Association Stands with Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California in Working to KEEP THE LAW Protecting Schools from Toxic Drilling
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California announced an endorsement from California Teachers Association (CTA) which joins a growing list of supporters for the campaign, united in an effort to KEEP a historic law (SB 1137) preventing toxic oil drilling near schools and in neighborhoods.
CTA is the unified voice for educators in California’s public schools and community colleges. With the combined strength and commitment of 310,000 members, CTA is a powerful and passionate advocate for students and public education. Toxic oil drilling in California communities is a serious threat to public health, particularly affecting students and teachers who work and attend schools next to gas and oil drilling.
"Members of the California Teachers Association stand firmly with the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California to keep the law that prohibits toxic oil drilling near schools and in neighborhoods,” says David Goldberg, CTA President. “Protecting our students and teachers from the toxic effects of oil drilling is crucial for fostering a thriving educational community. We are committed to ensuring a safe and healthy environment for our educators and students.”
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.
For more information about our campaign, please visit our website at: www.CAvsBigOil.com
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Press Contact:Robin Swanson, robin@swansoncomm.net