Publication: Capital & Main

UCLA Expert: Beth Kent: Emmett/Frankel Fellow in Environmental Law and Policy, UCLA School of Law

Synopsis: A new California bill might force oil companies to pay health impact reparations.

UCLA News: Kent pointed to conclusions from the state’s own advisory panel in 2021 as evidence that the legislation’s central mechanism could hold up in court. The California Oil and Gas Public Health Rulemaking Scientific Advisory Panel affirmed “with a high level of certainty” that close proximity to wells is associated with perinatal and respiratory harms. “That’s a strong hook for the causation argument,” Kent said.

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