Oil and Gas Drilling Ordinance (ENV-2025-2885-MND)

The Project is a proposed Oil and Gas Drilling Ordinance (Oil Ordinance, Ordinance, or Project) amending Sections 12.03, 12.20, 12.23, 12.24, and 13.01 of Chapter I of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) and Sections 1.4.7, 5D.9.7, 8.2.4, 12.1.2, 12.5.4, 13B.2.2, and Division 14.3 of Chapter 1A of the LAMC to prohibit new oil and gas extraction and make existing extraction activities a nonconforming use in all zones within the City of Los Angeles (City). Specifically, the Ordinance amends the LAMC to eliminate the provisions that allow for the creation of new “O” Oil Drilling Supplemental Use Districts; end by-right oil and gas extraction in the M3-Heavy Industrial Zones (including in any Industrial Use District of Chapter 1A of the LAMC); and declare existing oil and gas extraction within the City a nonconforming use. Upon being deemed nonconforming, these uses will be subject to limitations, including: 1. No new Oil Well for the production of oil, gas, or other hydrocarbon substances may be drilled. 2. No existing Oil Well for the production of oil, gas, or other hydrocarbon substances shall be maintained, drilled, re-drilled, or deepened. 3. The Oil Well site and its operations and equipment shall not be expanded or extended in any way, or intensified such that prohibited Oil Well activity under 1 and 2 above, or new permanent or temporary Oil Well site equipment are introduced beyond the limits of what was originally permitted. The Ordinance permits otherwise prohibited activities, equipment, or changes to operations through a separate zoning process to cease a threat to public health, safety, or the environment. The Ordinance exempts from its requirements wells that are operated by a public utility that is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. Twenty years from the effective date of the Ordinance, all nonconforming, non-exempt oil and gas extraction uses will be required to cease operations and terminate, unless required to do so earlier due to idle status and/or inactivity