Overview
- The Justice Department filed the case on Jan. 14 in the Eastern District of California seeking to declare SB 1137 unconstitutional and to halt its enforcement.
- SB 1137 bars new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, parks, and healthcare facilities, while imposing monitoring, dust control, and noise and light limits on existing nearby wells.
- The department said it will move for a preliminary injunction in the coming days to suspend the law during litigation.
- Federal officials cite the Mineral Leasing Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, asserting the law would eliminate about one-third of federally authorized leases in California, with roughly 218 BLM leases overlapping the buffer zones.
- California leaders and environmental groups vowed to defend the statute as a public-health measure, noting research that millions of residents live within the setback distance.