WSPA President and CEO Catherine Reheis-Boyd has issued the following statement in response to the introduction of SB 467 by Senator Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Senator Limón (D-Santa Barbara).

“There could not be a better example of the disconnect that exists between the policymakers in Sacramento and the everyday Californians who do the real work to move our state forward than SB 467.

“Our state is in the midst of a jobs and economic disaster due to COVID.  We can’t get businesses open and people back to work or even figure out how to pay unemployment benefits to millions. Yet, these lawmakers are focused on eliminating our ability to provide safe, affordable and reliable energy for families and businesses under environmental standards that are already the toughest in the world.

“The bill is so broad and ambiguous that the results of its passage would lead to a total production ban in California.  That means, hundreds of thousands of more Californians without jobs, the state facing billions in takings claims, and our people being completely reliant on petroleum produced in other parts of the world.

“When we look past political rhetoric and to the facts, it is clear the last thing we can afford to do is shut down oil and gas production. It’s detrimental to the well-being of our people,  our economic recovery and attaining the truly sustainable energy future that all of us want.”