Los Angeles is moving forward with a sweeping 20-year phaseout of oil drilling citywide after the City Council voted 13-0 Wednesday. The decision came despite warnings from oil companies that the policy could trigger costly lawsuits, violate property rights and increase the region’s reliance on foreign oil.
The vote extends a nearly decade-long fight over oil production in Los Angeles. More than 5,200 oil and gas wells—including active, idle and abandoned sites—operate across the city, raising longstanding concerns about pollution in neighborhoods near homes and schools.
E&B Natural Resources Management Corporation and three affiliated companies objected to the plan, arguing that its restrictions could force wells to shut down before the 20-year period ends by limiting maintenance and other necessary operations.
In a June 8 letter, attorneys for the companies said the proposal could violate constitutional protections for private property and leave Los Angeles taxpayers facing expensive legal battles.
The California Independent Petroleum Association likewise criticized the measure. The industry group said ending local oil production could increase dependence on imported crude and put investments made under existing permits at risk.
Los Angeles first approved an oil drilling ban in December 2022, but oil companies challenged the ordinance in court. A judge overturned it in September 2024, and the city repealed the measure in 2025.
State lawmakers later gave Los Angeles a new path forward by passing legislation that expanded local governments’ authority to regulate oil drilling.
City officials are now preparing for another legal battle over the future of oil production in Los Angeles.
“We know we’re going to get sued,” Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky said Wednesday. She added that the city had invested significant resources in developing a stronger environmental and legal case.
Yaroslavsky described the drilling phaseout as an urgent public health measure, saying zoning rules should shield residents from potentially harmful industrial activity.
Councilwoman Traci Park also supported the restrictions, arguing that oil wells should not operate in residential areas.
“They’re bad for the environment, and they make people sick,” Park told fellow council members.
Los Angeles produced about 1.6 million barrels of crude oil in 2024, representing 1.4% of California’s total output, according to city planning documents.
The council’s Wednesday agenda also addressed a federal lawsuit from Nasco Petroleum challenging the city’s earlier oil drilling ordinance.
The unanimous vote also included an order allowing the new measure to advance immediately.