Chevron Spends $3 Million To Stop Oil Well Liability Law, Topping CA Lobbyists, Says Consumer Watchdog

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As a bill holding oil drillers accountable for health harms awaits a vote on the California Assembly Floor, Chevron reported spending $3 million lobbying in the first three months of the year to defeat that bill, AB 3155, the only bill it claims to be lobbying against, according to state disclosures analyzed by CalMatters. 

Chevron spent more lobbying in the first quarter than any entity in the state according to the analysis. In addition to lobbying against AB 3155, Chevron also lobbied various state agencies.

AB 3155 (Friedman) holds oil drillers legally accountable for birth defects, cancer, and respiratory problems in people who live within a half mile of an oil well that doesn't use the most protective leak control technology that is commercially available. The bill creates a presumption of liability that can be rebutted if the company uses the best pollution control technology or can prove the health problems were caused another way.

"Chevron is scared of AB 3155 because it will hold the company accountable to the people it harms in communities surrounding its wells," said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog. "All the company has to do to avoid liability is use the best commercially available pollution control technology. But Chevron spends its money trying to influence politics instead of cleaning up its wells. The Assembly should tell Chevron it needs to be accountable for unsafe drilling."

A state scientific panel for CALGEM found a link between birth defects and respiratory problems and living within the setback zone. 5 of the top 12 most common toxins at LA oil drilling sites are carcinogens. More than 2.7 million Californians live within 3,200 feet of an existing operational oil or gas well.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog