A state energy agency improperly OK’d more than a dozen new Long Beach oil and gas wells late last year, according to a new lawsuit from an environmental advocacy organization, which argued in court documents that California law required comprehensive assessments of potential impacts.
The lawsuit, which the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity filed on Thursday, May 11, also accused the California Geologic Energy Management Division, the agency responsible for overseeing and permitting oil and gas operations, of improperly approving six new wells in San Luis Obispo.
The Geologic Energy Management Division and the Department of Conservation — which includes CalGEM — declined to comment, citing standard reticence on pending or ongoing litigation.
The Center of Biological Diversity, though, argued in its lawsuit that CalGEM didn’t conduct legally required environmental and public health impacts of the new Long Beach and San Luis Obispo wells before granting the permits.
CalGEM approved the 15 new wells on Long Beach’s THUMS islands, part of the Wilmington Oil Field, in December; the THUMS islands are four manmade drilling structures along the city’s coastline. CalGEM OK’d the six wells in San Luis Obispo’s Arroyo Grande oil field from November to February.
The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, asks for those 21 permits to be nullified. The center also wants to court to formally recognize that CalGEM violated California’s environmental review laws and ban the division from issuing new oil and gas permits until it complies with those state rules.
“The Center learned of these fifteen permits after requesting weekly summaries from CalGEM,” the lawsuit said about the approved Long Beach wells.
Those weekly summaries list new oil drilling permits issued within a given timeframe and can be used to find documents submitted along with the applications, the suit said.
The only environmental review submitted alongside the 15…
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