WASHINGTON  – Today, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-21), Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23), and Congresswoman Connie Conway (CA-22) sent a letter to Governor Newsom regarding the recent settlement between the State of California and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The settlement places a federal moratorium on new oil and gas leases in Central California until BLM conducts a supplemental environmental review on the impacts of oil and gas drilling. The last environmental review conducted in 2019 was based on the best available science and went through a public notice and comment period.

The oil and gas industry contributed over $80 million to the County of Kern in terms of annual property taxes in fiscal year 2018-2019; over $103 million for local school districts; and over $12 million for local special districts for a total of almost $200 million per year. The lawmakers highlighted the detrimental economic impact of banning oil and gas production in the Central Valley:

“The industry is also responsible for billions of dollars in state and local tax revenue that funds vital community services like public schools, hospitals, and law enforcement across the state.”

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“We hope you consider the detrimental economic impact that overregulation and rushed removal of this industry will have across our region and state,” the lawmakers wrote.

The members also highlighted the national security risk of further restricting California’s ability to produce traditional energy sources:

“We have seen other nations around the world attempt to only rely on renewable fuels too quickly and they are left with instable grids and are forced to turn to their adversaries for more reliable fuels. That is not a position we want to find ourselves in,” the members wrote. 

You can read the full letter here.

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