The Los Angeles City Council will consider new restrictions on the location of urban oil drilling sites -- or perhaps a total ban urban oil production.
“There are a significant amount of people that believe that because of how close they live to oil facilities, that that’s affecting their health,” said City Councilman Herb Wesson.
“I think it is the City’s responsibility to try to answer that question,” he said.
A motion calls for the City Attorney’s Office and city planners to report back within three months on whether a ban is legal or feasible given existing oil drilling contracts.
An oil industry group says drill sites are already subject to extremely strict state and local environmental rules, and says any new limits would lead to lost jobs and tax revenue.