January 3, 2023

Source: Inside Climate News

Three years ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to safeguard the health and safety of people living near oil and gas operations, but change hasn’t come. Millions still live near noxious oil and gas rigs, many long exempt from air pollution rules, as scientific evidence of their harm mounts.

More than 2 million Californians, mostly poor people of color, live within a mile of an operating oil or gas well. People living near wellsin other states have reported the same symptoms Martinez has struggled with most of her life, including nose, eye and throat irritation, severe headaches, fatigue and anemia. 

Read more: When an Oil Well Is Your Neighbor