More than half a million people in Los Angeles live less than a quarter mile from an active oil well. Nearly a third of the city’s wells are located near schools, parks, homes, and other residential areas and disproportionately affect communities of color. The Wilmington neighborhood is home to the third-largest oil field in the continental United States and has the highest asthma and childhood cancer risk area in the state.
The Wilmington Field East project would shut down 30 wells across three sites which, without intervention, are not required to be shut down until 2042. This verified emission reduction project will create local jobs and improve health and safety in the Wilmington community.
These wells are located within 500 feet of schools, hospitals and community centers
The Wilmington project offers great employment opportunities for skilled workers in the area.
From cementing and welding to regulatory and trucking, each of the plugging projects helped bring local professionals an opportunity to empower the Los Angeles energy transition. In addition to tackling emissions, retiring these wells reduces the health risks caused by nearby industrial pollution.
These projects bring oilfield jobs to an area that hasn't had oil and gas development in many years
Local residents haven't received royalties in decades
The Wilmington Field is a subsection of the historic Los Angeles Oil Basin originally discovered in 1890. Though the field originally contained nearly 3 billion barrels of oil, almost all remaining wells in the area have declined for decades and are currently producing at marginal levels. These wells are an ideal fit for carbon crediting as the oil is heavy, requiring high-emission processing, and the production is low and predictable.
Wilmington is in the top 1% of pollution exposure in the U.S. The 60,000 residents of Wilmington suffer from higher asthma rates and cardiac disease. Pregnant women living near active oil operations in LA have a 40% increased risk of premature birth and a 30% increased risk of high-risk pregnancy. Mobilizing capital through voluntary carbon markets can support economic decisions that reduce community exposure to emissions.
-
When completed, this expedited decommissioning will shut down thirty active wells across three sites, along with their associated gas processing equipment and dozens of aging wellheads and transmission lines.
