California Oil, Gas Drilling Hits Historic Lows in 2020
New oil and natural gas drilling hit historic lows in California last year while a renewed emphasis on abandoned wells turned up a record high number of permanently sealed wells, the state Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) reported Wednesday.
The severe downturn in permitting and new drilling can be seen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, “but global commodity prices, our state’s economy and local judicial decisions in Kern County have all contributed to the decline,” said CalGEM spokesperson Don Drysdale.
Production data for the last two years showed in-state production met only about 32% of demand, according to the California Independent Petroleum Association (CIPA).
MicroClimates: The climate stories we ll be following in 2021
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Pier 14 along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, December 30, 2020.Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle
Welcome to MicroClimates, The Chronicle’s climate change newsletter. If someone forwarded you this email, you can sign up here.
Looking back, looking forward
New year, still changing climate. As we start a new year, I wanted to take a look at some recent Bay Area and California climate change stories that will continue to develop in 2021.
Hot year, even hotter autumn
2020 has tied 2016 for the hottest year on record, and in California, residents endured the hottest August, September and October since 1895. The temperature trend for this three-month period over the past decade is clear: It’s getting warmer in California’s fire season.
Published on December 28th, 2020
The Fractracker Alliance has just published a new study on the potential impacts of health and safety setbacks and environmental justice in California revealing that over 2 million people, mostly low income and people of color, live within 2,500′ of oil and gas infrastructure.
By Dan Bacher
The report, People and Production: Reducing Risk in California Extraction, makes a number of conclusions, including recommending a setback of at least one mile between oil and gas wells and homes, schools, based on the peer reviewed literature.
Kyle Ferrar, MPH with the Fractracker Alliance, writes in the report’s executive summary:
Dec. 24—SACRAMENTO — In the same year Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that the state faced a “climate damn emergency” with wildfires, his administration approved far more permits to let companies drill new oil and gas wells.
California approved 1,646 drill permits in the first nin
Amid climate crisis, California approves far more drilling permits houstonchronicle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from houstonchronicle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.