Statement on Behalf of 240 California Lawmakers Regarding Gov. Newsom Firing Top Oil & Gas Regulator Ken Harris

Some are stunned when they realize California is the third-largest producer of crude oil in the United States, for the state has a reputation of being a leader fighting climate change. Many Californians pride themselves on their state’s leadership on issues of public health and the environment. A staggering new NRDC analysis of oil and gas development in California shows that approximately 5.4 million people of the state’s population live within a mile of one, or more, of more than 84,000 existing oil and gas wells.