• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on April 23 that he directed the Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management (CalGEM) Division to stop issuing new fracking permits by January 2024. Newsom also requested the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to consider how the state can end all oil extraction by 2045. “The climate crisis is real, and we continue to see the signs every day,” Newsom said in a statement. “As we move to swiftly decarbonize our transportation sector and create a healthier future for our children, I’ve made it clear I don’t see a role for fracking in that future and, similarly, believe that California needs to move beyond oil.” With the governor’s directive, CalGEM will begin creating regulations to stop issuing new fracking permits. The target to end all oil extraction by 2045 will be added to the state’s Climate Change Scoping Plan, a “comprehensive, multi-year regulatory and programmatic plan to achieve required reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” according to Newsom’s office. “CARB will evaluate economic, environmental, and health benefits and effects of eliminating oil extraction. CARB’s scoping plan process will be informed by cross-sector collaboration and public input focusing on benefits in disadvantaged communities, opportunities for job creation, and economic growth as we achieve carbon neutrality.” In the meantime, CalGEM will also update and develop new rules to protect public health and the environment, such as new regulations to protect workers and communities near oil fields, according to the governor’s office.
• On April 22, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) issued a statement commending the Biden administration for reinstating California’s ability to set its own fuel emissions standards—an allowance that was previously blocked by a Trump-era rule, according to a statement from Carbajal’s office. At the time that the Trump administration first announced the rule in 2018, Carbajal co-sponsored a resolution in opposition. “California’s clean car standards paved the way for other states to take steps that improve air quality and fight climate change. The Trump administration’s decision to revoke California’s waiver was an attack on our state’s environmental leadership and completely ignored the realities of the climate crisis,” Carbajal said in an April 22 statement. “I applaud President Biden for moving to restore California’s authority to set our own standards. There is no better way to celebrate Earth Day than by taking action to curb air pollution and protect our planet.”
• The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, a group of immunization and public health experts across West Coast states, announced April 24 that it completed a review and concluded that use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine should resume in Western states, according to a statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. “On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted its pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, following a review by a federal vaccine safety review panel,” according to the governor’s office. “The workgroup further recommended that vaccine information fact sheets be culturally and linguistically appropriate and available in multiple languages at an accessible reading level to inform conversations between health care providers and vaccine recipients.” Throughout the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, the workgroup has independently reviewed the FDA’s vaccine actions and recommendations, and will continue to do so as other vaccines become approved. “After additional review, analysis, and scrutiny, experts have concluded the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is safe, effective, and will protect you against the COVID-19 virus,” Newsom said in a statement. “To date, about a million Californians have already received this vaccine—including myself and many of the state’s top doctors. I encourage all Californians to trust the science; getting vaccinated is the best way to protect ourselves and our loved ones and end the pandemic.”
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 6, 2021.
