California plans to end oil and gas production within 24 years
California plans to end oil and gas production within 24 years. In addition, within three years, the state should end the issuance of new mining permits through fracking.
According to Reuters, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the authorities late last week to begin preparations for steps to end oil and gas production by 2045.
As early as 2024, California should stop issuing additional production permits through the method of hydraulic fracturing. This method of extraction accounts for about 2 percent of California's total oil production.
The governor has long been under pressure from environmental activists and some politicians, who say oil and gas production is at odds with California's goal of combating
climate change.
These plans include ending the use of fossil fuels. He has now announced to
Newsom what direction California will take in the coming years.
"I do not see the future in fracking and I am convinced that California must move further, beyond oil," Newsom said in an official statement.
The oil and gas industry and some more conservative politicians, who criticized the governor's announcement, disagree. They pointed in particular to the loss of a large number of jobs.
California's oil production has been declining since the 1980s, especially due to stricter environmental standards than in other countries. Nevertheless, the country is still one of the largest producers and consumers of oil. In terms of production, it is the seventh largest in the USA and the second largest in terms of consumption.