Los Angeles just voted to shut down its own oil production for 20 years, and every gallon you pump will cost more because of it. The City Council voted 13-0 Wednesday to phase out drilling across the city, ignoring warnings from industry that the move means higher gas prices, more reliance on foreign oil, and expensive lawsuits that taxpayers will bankroll.
This matters because California already pays $1.72 more per gallon than any other state, and the politicians who just made that worse are the same ones who'll never feel the pinch. Working Angelenos will.
The crackdown covers more than 5,200 oil and gas wells — active, idle, and abandoned — and follows a nearly decade-long fight over drilling near homes and schools. E&B Natural Resources Management Corporation and three affiliated companies warned in a June 8 letter that the restrictions could force wells to close before the 20-year deadline by choking off maintenance and operations. Their attorneys said the proposal violates constitutional property protections and exposes taxpayers to costly litigation.
The California Independent Petroleum Association didn't mince words. CEO Rock Zierman called out the obvious: shutting local production means importing more oil from overseas, and those imports are
