AB 3155 would hold oil and gas companies financially liable for health impacts like cancer, respiratory illnesses, and birth defects caused by oil and gas exposure. The affected individual would have to live for at least two years within 3,200 feet of an oil well or gas production facility and the facility must have failed to use the most effective pollution control technology.
Living near oil wells and gas production facilities increases the risk of asthma, respiratory problems, pre-term births, high-risk pregnancies, and cancer. In 2022, Governor Newsom signed SB 1137 (Gonzalez) to establish health protection zones of 3,200 feet around oil and gas wells to protect the health of all Californians. But more than 2.7 million Californians live within 3200 feet of an operational oil or gas well, and the communities affected are disproportionately low-income and communities of color. Oil and gas companies should pay the costs when they endanger the health of Californians.
