HUNTINGTON BEACH : City Council Lobbies for State Oil-Well Bill
The City Council, which revised city codes to speed the elimination of unproductive oil wells, now is worried that proposed state legislation might stymie that effort.
The council voted to urge the Legislature to approve an oil-well regulation bill that is in line with the city’s oil code and reject all other proposals.
The city’s recently overhauled oil code includes standards to more quickly abandon old wells, which use up valuable land and could pose environmental and health risks; requires extensive landscaping around oil fields and wells; and imposes new insurance regulations.
None of several bills the Legislature is now considering include such stipulations, and, if approved, they might threaten the city’s standards, Fire Chief Raymond C. Picard said last week.
“We’re starting to examine some of these questions,” Picard said. “Would state law preempt local codes? Would this provide cities with equal protection, or weaker or stronger standards? That’s of concern to us.”
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