Description:

Los Angeles, California; Baltimore, Maryland; Portland, Oregon; Vancouver, Washington; and other cities across America are passing ordinances that prevent the fossil fuel industry from building or expanding fossil fuel operations within their municipalities. These laws, typically zoning or land use ordinances, predominantly target fossil fuel storage and transport, oil and gas exploration and development, and new export facilities for coal, oil, gas, and their derivatives. Some of these restrictions take the form of temporary moratoriums (urgency measures), such as in Hoquiam, Washington; Broomfield, Colorado; and Vancouver, Washington. These moratoriums are often renewed before long term policies are adopted. Cities can utilize the time periods created by these moratoriums to research the effects of banning new fossil fuel facilities or to draft new zoning regulations. It should be noted that some cities are also passing ordinances that phase out existing operations, with Los Angeles and Richmond, California representative of those cities acting to do so.

One of the most ambitious examples of new zoning ordinances was initiated by Los Angeles County in 2021. The proposed ordinance banned new oil and gas wells and reclassified them as non-conforming land uses. This ordinance was approved by the county in October of 2022. In December of the same year, the City of Los Angeles adopted a similar ban on new oil and gas wells and an ambitious plan to phase out existing wells over the next 20 years. Public health and environmental justice concerns were the driving forces behind this decision by the LA City Council. The ordinance became effective in January of 2023. This vote came after years of resident complaints of poor air quality, which was affecting the health and safety of community members. Over 5,000 active drilling sites all across Los Angeles will shut down over the next two decades in accordance with the city’s comprehensive plan. Additionally, the LA City plan includes guidance on helping oil industry workers transition to jobs in renewable energy. The ban was presented to the public as a way to curb the social injustices that have occurred from the emissions and environmental degradation directly related to the operation of oil and gas wells and which disproportionately affect under-resourced and under-represented communities.

Many temporary moratoriums and zoning ordinances have been passed by clearly showing the detrimental effects created by fossil fuels for the general public, particularly in LA. The most commonly effective justification for these ordinances is concern over public health in respect to air pollution, water contamination, and the safety of local workers and nearby communities. Depending on the intensity of opposition posed by fossil fuel companies and their allies, the process of amending or creating a zoning ordinance has historically taken between six months and six years.

Goal: Restrict fossil fuel infrastructure development (industrial scale facilities), e.g., drilling, refining, processing, storage, shipping.