SACRAMENTO  – California notched another victory against Big Oil. The industry announced it is pulling its referendum aimed at repealing California’s law protecting neighborhoods from the dangerous impacts of drilling. 

The measure that would have appeared on this November’s ballot could have allowed the oil industry to keep drilling new wells within 3,200 feet of homes and schools and operating existing wells without critical pollution controls. Now that the industry has pulled their referendum, implementation of California’s law requiring setbacks (SB 1137) can begin – a crucial protection for public health and safety.