Kern County has a high concentration of oil wells. The State has found hundreds of them to be leaking methane.

In a blow to environmental activists, the California state legislature agreed to delay implementing new regulations mandating oil companies to monitor for oil well leaks and manage environmental impacts at existing oil wells. 

“It’s a severe blow! We (Kern County) have the highest concentration of oil and gas wells in the state,” said Cesar Aguirre with the Central California Environmental Justice Network in Bakersfield. 

The law, SB 1137, was passed in 2022 under pressure from environmental groups to protect diverse communities, especially low-income and minority areas. It was to have been implemented in 2027, but the date has been pushed back to 2030. The oil and gas industry pushed back, and initially launched a campaign to overturn SB 1137 with a ballot measure. The measure has since been pulled. Adding to the complexity, state legislators learned recently those state agencies responsible for overseeing the rules would not have sufficient time to hire staff and implement the technologies needed to monitor the air and water at well sites. 

Environmental groups statewide had been lobbying the Newsome administration for years to take action to reel in oil producers to clean up their act. “A lot of oil and gas leaks are dangerous, and it happens much more often than we’re aware, mostly because there is a big lack of transparency,” said Aguirre. 

Kern County in particular has the dubious distinction of having a high number of, if not the highest number of oil wells in California leaking methane. For example, in 2022 private individuals discovered 45 oil wells leaking methane or with high pressure build-up in Bakersfield between May to July. The leaking wells were reported to CalGEM and inspectors later verified the findings. The wells belonged to five different companies. One neighborhood impacted was in northeast Bakersfield along Morningstar. According to CalGEM, local health officials determined the leaks did not pose a significant health or safety risk to residents. But some people living there begged to differ, saying they had constant headaches and other symptoms, and had not been aware of the leaks before moving into the neighborhood. 

Methane gas is colorless and odorless. According to the EPA, methane gas is usually harmless, however, at high concentrations, it may reduce the oxygen percentage in the air, causing suffocation. It is also extremely flammable and can cause an explosion when its concentrations reaches 5% to 15% in air. 

Last year in 2023, private individuals found more of the same. This time, it was 27 oil wells found to be emitting methane unchecked, in the Arvin-Lamont area. Some of the wells were reportedly located within 3,200 feet of homes and schools, with one well within 1,000 feet of a school. CalGEM confirmed the findings.

Though oil companies won’t have to comply with the new regulations until 2030, local residents and businesses can still report leaking wells by calling 911. Reports can also be made to IVAN, a community-based environmental enforcement reporting group. Reports can be made in English or Spanish at kernreport.org. 

According to Aguirre, local environmental groups will keep enforcing their inspections, despite the setback in delaying the monitoring of oil wells. 

“This doesn’t stop the fight,” said Aguirre. “It’s something that we’re not scared of.”