For Immediate Release
Contact:
Clio Soiffer, csoiffer@apenaction.org
Gissela Chavez, Gissela@cbecal.org
On May 1, the California Energy Commission submitted an assessment regarding the state’s transition away from petroleum fuels as required by SB 237, followed by a hearing at the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee at 1:30pm on May 5. Ahead of the hearing, environmental justice groups released the following statements:
“The SB 237 Assessment strongly underscores the need for real solutions that prepare for and advance the ongoing energy transition in California. In light of the climate and health impacts framed by the CEC in communities with oil extraction and oil refining — like those CBE organizes in — where industry activity causes asthma, cancer, other illnesses and premature deaths, this work is urgently needed,” said Kerry Guerin, Richmond Staff Attorney with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE). “We appreciate the CEC’s commitment to advancing the State’s climate policy and decarbonization goals while managing the transition’s real impacts on fenceline communities, workers and consumers. Most of all, we applaud the CEC’s recognition of local expertise and community accountability as necessary centerpieces of effective permitting while seeking greater agency information sharing. We will continue to engage the State to aggressively pursue the strategies that protect fenceline communities who dream that this next century, unlike the last, is one without oil extraction and oil refining in their backyards, just over the fence.”
“A managed transition can deliver a planned, enforceable phaseout of fossil fuels that protects workers, guarantees cleanup, and invests in the communities most impacted,” said Nile Malloy of the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA). “Refinery and oil extraction communities have carried the public health burden for generations and should not be left behind with toxic sites and harm while industry walks away. California has the opportunity to lead by aligning policy with accountability, manage extraction responsibly, ensuring cleanup before closure, and directing real investment to frontline communities. This report is a pathway to how we build a transition rooted in equity, public health, long-term community stability, and affordability for all Californians.”
“The SB 237 report makes clear that we can’t respond to refinery closures one refinery at a time and allow Big Oil to hit the panic button every time they threaten closures. We need a real plan for a managed transition — one that puts people, local communities, and workers first,” said Faraz Rizvi with Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) Action. “We support the report’s recommendations for increased transparency around legacy pollution and potential cleanup costs so that local communities can proactively plan for what comes next. SB 1259 is how we get there.”