After Years of Restriction, Newsom Floats Bill to Streamline New Oil Well Drilling

After years of restriction, Newsom floats bill to streamline new oil well drilling

California Gov. Newsom is proposing a bill that would streamline the drilling of new oil wells.  His proposal comes as two major oil refineries are shutting down in California because of stringent regulations.  The big picture: Under his proposal, California oil refiners could follow a new “plug-to-drill” policy until 2036, according to multiple reports.  That would require oil companies to plug two wells and abandon them before drilling a new …

No New CA Oil Drilling Permits Approved in 2nd Quarter, But Thousands of New Wells Proposed

Los Angeles, CA — We have both some good news and some very bad news on the oil drilling front in California.No new drilling permits for oil and gas wells were approved in California in the second quarter of 2025. That extends a “promising trend in reduced fossil fuel development over the last two years” under Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration, according to Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance in a press statement.At the same time, th…