RESOLUTION NO. XX
Resolution of the Richmond City Council encouraging Contra Costa County to end new permitting of oil and gas drilling in Contra Costa County and phase out existing oil and gas development activities and associated infrastructure
WHEREAS, oil and gas development (OGD) is a leading source of harmful air pollutants, studies show higher concentrations of ambient air pollutants within 4 km (13,000 feet) of pre-production wells and within 2 km (6,500 feet) of producing wells; and
WHEREAS, pollutants emitted by OGD (such as benzene, ethylbenzene, and n- hexane) are listed as harmful chemicals that can harm our reproductive system or cause cancer under Proposition 65, which are recognized by the State of California; and
WHEREAS, there is always a risk of explosions and fires in the vicinity of oil and gas drilling; and
WHEREAS, air pollution may have adverse effects on our brains, including associations with neurodegenerative disease, and may lead to movement disorders such as Parkinson’s, which as a negative impact on cognitive ability, increasing the rate of dementia in elderly, and may cause depression and anxiety; and
WHEREAS, exposure to OGD (and associated exposures) cause significant increase poor birth outcomes, such as premature birth, low birth weight, and small for gestational age births, which in turn increase the risk of death and long-term developmental problems in newborns and illness throughout childhood and adulthood; and
WHEREAS, children are especially vulnerable to exposure to toxic chemicals emitted from OGD, since children breathe at a faster rate than adults, taking in more toxics per unit of body weight, and children’s shorter stature places them closer to the ground where pollutants concentrate; and
WHEREAS, the dangerous impacts of pollution from OGD fall most heavily on Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian and low income communities, and 55 percent of the City of Richmond’s population comprise these communities, and non-white Californians account for 69 percent of approximately 2,763,383 Californians who live within 3,200 feet of an operational gas well; and
WHEREAS, the City of Richmond is one of the two focus communities for the Bay Area Air Quality District’s (BAAQMD) initial implementation of the AB 617 Richmond Area Community Health Protection Program, targeted to reduce local air pollution; and
WHEREAS, in 2022 Antioch City Council approved a permanent ban on oil and gas drilling, production and exploratory operations within city limits; and
WHEREAS, in 2022 Brentwood City Council unanimously approved an immediate moratorium on oil and gas drilling while simultaneously preparing an ordinance to ban drilling; and
WHEREAS, in 2021 Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to end new permitting of oil and gas drilling and phase out existing drilling, with protective provisions for those fossil fuel workers whose jobs could be impacted; and
WHEREAS, 130 Contra Costa health professionals and students signed in support of banning oil and gas drilling.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Richmond City Council is in support of banning oil and gas drilling in Contra Costa County.
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I certify that the foregoing resolution was passed and adopted by the Council of the City of Richmond at a regular meeting thereof held on INSERT DATE, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTENTIONS:
ABSENT:
CLERK OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND
Approved:
Mayor
Approved as to form:
City Attorney