California’s Worst Neighbor: The Oil and Gas Industry – CA Climate Accountability Project

California’s Worst Neighbor: The Oil and Gas Industry

Oil and gas companies are placing profit above the safety of Californians and polluting the communities we call home. Explore where oil and gas have misused ratepayer dollars to combat climate solutions, sued California communities trying to protect their health, and neglected to clean up oil infrastructure near homes, schools, and hospitals. Oil and gas aren’t just bad neighbors, they are the worst neighbors.

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Did You Know?

79% of legislators take oil and gas money.

The majority of legislators accept oil and gas industry contributions.
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77% of Democrats take oil and gas money.

Many Democrats accept oil and gas industry contributions.
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Learn more about the Oil and Gas Industry’s agenda in California.

Legislators who accept oil and gas money often fail to support climate policy.
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ExxonMobil sued California communities claiming they were victims of a conspiracy from climate change lawsuits by California municipalities

Bay Area, CA | 2018

Exxon sought to question 16 government officials, one of whom was a lawyer, to accuse them of contradicting themselves in litigation against Exxon. Exxon claimed that depositions were necessary “to allow it to determine whether evidence exists to pursue claims against the cities and counties for alleged abuse of process and civil conspiracy.”

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ExxonMobil fought Santa Barbara county’s decision in order to truck millions of gallons of crude oil through the county

Highway 101 And State Route 166 | 2021

Exxon’s proposal sought to transport 24,820 trucks a year (about 470,400 gallons of crude oil per day) for 7 years on coastal Highway 101 and State Route 166 through Santa Barbara County.

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Chevron Allowed Cymric Oil Field Spill To Last 113 Days, Spilling 1.2 Million Gallons Of Oil & Wastewater

Central Valley, CA | May-July 2019

One of the thousands of aging wells in the Central Valley broke, leading to 1.2 million gallons of oil and wastewater spilled at a Chevron site. Chevron was given 2 initial “Notice of Violation”, a $2.7 million penalty, and 5 additional NOVs.

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Chevron Refinery Fire that released noxious smoke and created a public health hazard was due to the failure to comply with environmental laws

Richmond, CA | August 2012

Hydrocarbon leak at a Chevron oil refinery ignited a fire. The Los Angeles Times stated, “Rather than use its $27 billion in 2011 profits to run the cleanest, safest and most transparent refinery possible, Chevron operates a refinery that is in constant violation of federal and state law and a daily threat to the health and safety of its workers and neighbors.” The massive fire was made worse due to the fact that the refinery continued to operate for two hours after the leak was discovered and workers debated what to do about it.

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ExxonMobil Refinery Explosion that used outdated procedures and old, unsafe equipment endangered 150,000 nearby residents & caused 14 schools to shelter-in-place

Torrance, CA | February 2015

ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California exploded and caught fire in Exxon’s fluid catalytic cracking unit. Pieces of equipment during the explosion nearly crashed into a tank holding tens of thousands of pounds of hydrofluoric acid. The explosion endangered 150,000 nearby residents, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.

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PG&E failed to do safety checks on over 99% of its gas pipeline through the western bay area

San Bruno, CA | August 2011

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that PG&E had assessed only 65 feet of the 47 miles of gas pipeline through the Western Part of the Bay Area

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SoCalGas Billed At Least $36 Million To Ratepayers For Political Lobbying To Undermine California Policies Aimed At The Climate Crisis Between 2019 And 2023

San Luis Obispo, CA | 2023

A concealed contract showed that the nation’s largest gas utility had paid a leading Los Angeles business association to recruit speakers against electrification, and drive them to the meeting using ratepayer money

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SoCalGas Aliso Canyon blowout caused the largest-known release of methane in US History

Aliso Canyon, CA | 2015

A well failure at Sempra Aliso Canyon storage facility led to the largest-known release of methane in U.S. history, sickening thousands of residents who were forced to relocate. The company actively fought community health lawsuits from those affected.

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Chevron profited from the sale of prohibited oil from their massive Cymric Oil Field spill

Kern County, CA | As of 11/2021

According to environmentalists, Chevron sold the oil it collected from the 2019 spill, even though it was coming from surface expressions that were prohibited by regulations

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Chevron employee killed in Cymric Oil Field

Kern County, CA | 2011

A Chevron employee was tragically killed in an oil sinkhole in western Kern County

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PG&E sued by nine companies over unpaid work in Solano County

Solano, CA | 2019

Nine companies have filed claims, known as a mechanics line, that total more than $3 million against PG&E for a variety of pipeline, infrastructure and renovation projects in nearly every major city in Solano County

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Amplify Energy Pipeline Spilled Nearly 25,000 Gallons Of Crude Oil into the ocean

Orange County, Huntington Beach | Oct 2021

A pipeline owned by Amplify Energy, which was used to carry crude oil from offshore platforms to a processing plant in Long Beach, began leaking on Oct. 1, 2021, but oil continued to pump through the line until the following morning. Amplify Energy, along with its subsidiaries Beta and San Pedro Pipeline Co, have paid more than $60 million dollars in both criminal and class action lawsuits to reimburse recovery efforts

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Amplify Energy failed to follow protocols after pipeline was struck by two cargo ship anchors

Orange County, Huntington Beach | Oct 2021

NTSB’s investigation determined that Beta Offshore, the pipeline operator, failed to train its controllers to appropriately respond to leak alarms and then shutdown and isolate the pipeline

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Amplify Energy oil spill had significant impact on local wildlife and wetlands

Orange County, Huntington Beach | Oct 2021

The oil spill affected ocean waters, rocky intertidal habitats, subtidal habitats, sandy beaches and sensitive Marsh habitats, as well as the fish, birds, vertebrates and marine mammals that inhabit those areas

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Sempra-owned SDG&E caused over 1/3 of its customers to go into debt after a massive increase in prices

San Diego | March 2023

People in San Diego owe more than $200 million to SDG&E because their bills went up, and they couldn’t afford the higher costs

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WSPA opposed a campaign for clean energy solutions including electrification

Sacramento | 2021

WSPA created “Energy IDEAS” to run ads opposing electrification efforts and question the science leading the clean energy transition

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Plains All American Pipeline oil spill washed out into the sensitive environment of the Santa Barbara Channel

Santa Barbara | May 2015

The oil spill killed more than 300 marine mammals and seabirds, and spread along 150 miles of the California Coast, forcing the closure of Refugio and El Capitan state beaches and covered waves, rocky shores, sandy beaches, and kelp forests with oil

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Plains All American Pipeline was found guilty of a felony for failing to properly maintain its pipeline

Santa Barbara | 4/2019

A Santa Barbara County jury found Plains All American Pipeline guilty of a felony and eight misdemeanor charges.The company’s 2017 annual report estimated costs from the spill at $335 million, not including lost revenues.

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PG&E’s deadly gas pipeline explosion

San Bruno | September 2010

The 2010 PG&E explosion and fire killed eight people and injured 58 while destroying 38 homes and damaging 70 others

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WSPA attempted to kill measures that limited refinery pollution

Martinez Refinery | 2023

A bill that would have tripled fines on refineries that emit toxic pollutants was suspended after opposition from the Western States Petroleum Association

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SoCalGas sued by LA county to force installation of safety shut-off valves on all wells

LA County | July, 2016

Los Angeles County went to court to force Southern California Gas Co. to install underground safety shut-off valves on every active gas storage well and distribution pipeline it operates in the county. The suit claims SoCalGas “put corporate profits before public safety” by failing more than 30 years ago to replace a faulty shut-off valve on the well that blew last fall at its Aliso Canyon storage facility.

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Sempra-owned SDG&E asked for San Diego consumers for reimbursement for damages of a fire that CPUC named was caused by the company’s negligence

San Diego | 2017

A utilities commissioner snuck in a phrase sticking the ratepayers with the cost, buried in a document having nothing to do with the 2007 fires. Two local activists caught the ruse, and an embarrassed commission had to turn down the request. A former utilities commission official chuckled and told me that they would be back.

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SoCalGas Porter Ranch explosion causes 29 Los Angeles firefighters to sue the company for knowingly exposing them to hazardous levels of toxins

Porter Ranch, LA County | 2018

The 56-page complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, says exposure to materials such as benzene and formaldehyde — known carcinogens — has caused firefighters to suffer from severe headaches, nosebleeds, skin rashes, dizziness and breathing difficulties. Some firefighters also are battling cancer, according to the complaint.

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Chevron & PBF Energy Sue Air District Over New Bay Area Refinery Pollution Rule

Contra Costa County |

Two of the nation’s biggest oil companies sued Bay Area air regulators to block a new rule that would force their regional refineries to significantly reduce the amount of pollution they spew into the air.

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Martinez Refining Co oil refinery spews unhealthy dust for the 4th time in a year angering community

Martinez, CA | 2023

An oil refinery in Martinez spewed petroleum coke dust into the air for the 4th time riling up community members worried about how much the company pollutes their air.

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Warren Resources sued Los Angeles for new legislation that would ban oil and gas wells and phase out existing ones

Wilmington, CA | 2023

The oil company fought LA City Council’s vote to ban oil and gas wells and to phase out existing ones within city limits following more than a decade of complaints from residents that pollution drifting from wells was affecting their health.

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Chevron-owned abandoned well caused oil spill off Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach, CA | 2022

The Orange County Board of Supervisors filed a lawsuit against Chevron for the costs of cleaning up after an oil spill in the Talbert Channel

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Shell Oil Companies use of TCP contaminated nine out of Atwater’s ten wells

Atwater, CA | 2019

Shell marketed the TCP-containing nematicide for use on agricultural lands in the Central Valley for decades without disclosing TCP was in the chemical product. A Merced jury awarded a total of $63 million to the City of Atwater for compensatory and punitive damages.

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Shell & Dow Chemical found to have used dangerous TCP-laced fumigates in California’s Central Valley for decades

Central Valley, CA | 2017

State and private water experts say TCP remains in groundwater and is now found in dangerous levels in the drinking water served by 94 different public water systems, most of which in the Central Valley.

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Shell Oil sued by the City of Clovis for knowingly contaminating drinking-water wells

Clovis, CA | 2016

The central California city of Clovis has won a $22 million civil case against Shell Oil over the cleanup of a 1,2,3-trichloropropane chemical found in the cities wells

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Shell Oil company sued by Selma Unified school district for dangerous drinking water

Selma, CA | 2021

Selma Unified School District claimed that TCP had been released or disposed of within the vicinity of drinking water wells owned or operated by the school district.

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Shell Oil sued for allegedly manufacturing and spraying fumigants with a toxic chemical on fields surrounding an elementary school

Cressey, CA | 2022

The lawsuit alleges that Shell manufactured and sold agricultural fumigants containing the toxic chemical 1,2,3-TCP, or 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, that were sprayed and ultimately polluted Cressey Elementary School’s water supply.

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Shell Oil company and Dow Chemical were sued for polluting drinking water wells

Madera, CA | 2020

Madera accused the manufacturing giants of being strictly liable for the design defect of a fumigant that resulted in 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP) leaking into the county’s soil and reaching dangerous levels in its groundwater.

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Citadel Exploration Sued San Benito County After Voters Pass Fracking Ban

San Benito County | 2015

Citadel Exploration, based in Newport Beach, sued San Benito County after residents approved a fracking ban by passing Measure J.

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Chevron, ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum and other oil giants create coalition to oppose fracking ban in San Benito

San Benito County | 2015

Oil giants donated roughly $2.1 million to the opposition campaign in San Benito County, outspending supporters 14-1.

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E&B Natural Resources-owned pipeline at Inglewood Oil Field spills more than 1,600 gallons in close proximity to over one million residents

Inglewood, CA | 2021

The spill at Inglewood Oil Field, the largest urban oil field in the country and where more than a million people live within five miles of its boundaries, was caused by a human error when a valve was left open. Spills at the same location were recorded in 2019, 2018, 2010, 2006, and 2005.

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Chevron’s Richmond oil refinery spilled hundreds of gallons of fuel into the San Francisco Bay

Richmond, CA | 2021

Chevron paid $200,000 in a settlement over the pipeline rupture after California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) investigators forwarded their findings on the spill to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office

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Marathon Refinery released more than 1,000 pounds of nitrogen dioxide, 500 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 200 pounds of H2S

Carson, CA | 2021

3,400 Carson families were relocated from homes due to a “debilitating odor” due to hydrogen sulfide that made it difficult to breath both outside and inside their homes

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Kinder Morgan Energy Partners subsidiary SFPP spilled over 63,000 gallons of gasoline into the Walnut Creek Canal

Walnut Creek, CA | 2020

SFPP was sentenced to pay a total of $2.5 million in fines, penalties, and assessments for cleanup, restitution, and investigative costs, and placed on probation for 18 months.

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Rinehart Oil tanker overturned on Highway 121 in Sonoma County, spilling 4,500 gallons of petroleum

Sonoma County, CA | 2022

Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office announced a $90,000 settlement with Rinehart Oil that included enforcement costs and civil penalties.

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Vida Resources allegedly tried to cover up an oil spill a block away from an LA high school

Echo Park, CA | 2017

State and local officials launched a joint investigation after discovering more than 200 plastic bags filled with oil-soaked dirt they believe were about to be removed from the site of a leaky oil well in Echo Park.

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Crimson Pipeline LLC pipeline spilled over 44,000 gallons of unrefined crude oil

Vetura, CA | 2016

Crimson Pipeline LLC paid $1.3 million in civil penalties, costs and natural resources damage for the spill in Ventura

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Chevron Fined Over $13 Million for its California Oil Spills

Kern County, CA | March 2023

Oil giant Chevron, which spent more than any other company lobbying in Sacramento in 2023, was issued a fine of over $13 million. Chevron’s fine included $5.6 million to the California Department of Conservation, and $7.5 million to California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the largest fine to date for the two departments in California.

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