The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously early this month to enact a ban on all new oil and natural gas drilling in every zone across the city and create a 20-year timeline to phase out exploration and production (E&P) at existing wells.

City Planning Case (CPC) 2022-4864-CA amends the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) to prohibit new oil and gas drilling activities by labeling existing extraction activities as a nonconforming land use in all city zones. 

First introduced in late September, the ordinance “represents a first, narrowly focused on land use, and is meant to be a critical piece in ultimately phasing out all oil drilling in LA,” said City Planning Department Director Vincent Bertoni during the council legislative session last week (Dec. 2).

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