Trump administration sues California over law keeping oil wells from homes, schools

California communities and environmental justice groups have worked for years to win a law banning the drilling of new oil and gas wells near where people live, work and gather. Now the Trump administration is suing to overturn it.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, the U.S. Department of Justice challenged Senate Bill 1137, a state law passed in 2022 that establishes a minimum setback of 3,200 feet between new oil wells and “sensitive receptors,” defined as homes, schools, community centers, parks and playgrounds, health care facilities or any public building.

By law, existing wells near these locations can continue to operate, but must monitor their emissions, control their dust and limit nighttime noise and light.

But the Trump administration says the law would “eliminate” about a third of all federally authorized oil and gas leases in California, amounting to unconstitutional regulation of federal lands by the state. In its complaint, the administration argues that federal law — specifically the Mineral Leasing Act and the Federal Land Management and Policy Act — supersedes SB 1137, and asks the court to declare the state law unconstitutional and prevent its enforcement.

While the majority of active wells in California are on private and state lands, the federal Bureau of Land Management administers more than 600 oil and gas leases within the state, according to the lawsuit. Approximately 218 of these leases overlap with buffer zones established by law.

Officials in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said Thursday that they had not yet been notified of the lawsuit, but would defend SB 1137 and the health of California communities. Living near oil and gas wells has been linked to a range of health problems related to air and water pollution that can be released by drilling and production, particularly if a well develops serious leaks.

“The Trump administration just sued California for keeping oil wells away from elementary schools, homes, daycares, hospitals and parks,” said Anthony Martinez, a spokesman for the governor. “Think about it. SB 1137 creates a science-based buffer zone so children can go to school, families can live in their homes, and communities can exist without breathing toxic fumes that cause asthma, birth defects, and cancer.”

The lawsuit advances an executive order issued in April by President Trump titled “Protecting American Energy from State Overreach,” in which the president directed Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi must identify “burdensome and ideologically motivated” state and local regulations that threaten the development of the nation’s energy resources and take steps to stop them.

“This is yet another unconstitutional and sweeping policy from Gavin Newsom that threatens our nation’s energy independence and makes energy more expensive for the American people,” Bondi said in a statement. “Consistent with President Trump’s executive orders, this Department of Justice will continue to fight burdensome regulations that violate federal law and hinder domestic energy production – particularly in California, where Newsom clearly intends to overturn federal law at every opportunity.”

Environmental groups were quick to condemn the action. The Oil and Gas Withdrawal Act was hard-won after several previous attempts were blocked by opposition from the oil industry and unions. Its implementation was briefly suspended by a 2024 referendum effort led by the California Independent Petroleum Assn., which ultimately withdrew it in light of a wave of public resistance.

“Attempting to block the law that protects the air we breathe and the water we drink from oil industry pollution is the Trump administration’s latest attack on our state,” said Kassie Siegel, director of the Climate Law Institute at the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity. “Big Oil has backed away from its misleading referendum campaign because Californians won’t accept it. This is a last-ditch effort to overturn the law’s essential health protections. I am confident this historic law will stand.”

Rock Zierman, chief executive of the California Independent Petroleum Assn., welcomed the Trump administration’s challenge to what it described as an “arbitrary rollback law.”

“Just as the State attempted to stop duly authorized domestic production on private lands in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the State also attempted to usurp federal law by stopping the production of minerals owned by American taxpayers,” Zierman said in a statement Thursday. “We welcome the U.S. Department of Justice joining our fight against these illegal actions that are leading to increased foreign imports. »

The lawsuit marks an escalation in Trump’s battle with Newsom and California over energy and environmental policies. The president, who received substantial donations from oil and gas companies during his 2024 presidential campaign, moved to block state tailpipe emissions standards, clean vehicle goals and renewable energy projects, among other efforts.

Earlier this week, the Justice Department filed another lawsuit against two California cities, Petaluma and Morgan Hill, over ordinances banning the use of natural gas in new buildings. Both cities said they had not enforced the bans in several years.