(Full post) Joined by Congresswoman Nanette Barragán , residents and allies, CBE & Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling (STAND LA) held a press conference today exposing extensive illegal drilling by Warren Resources.

CBE Attorney Alison H. kicked off the press event by outlining Warren’s numerous violations since 2018, including failure to conduct environmental reviews as required by local laws and submitting permit applications to the state with potentially fraudulent information.

With remarks underscoring needing to hold Warren accountable for illegal drilling as a matter of justice, Congresswoman Barragan said: “If it’s a fight they want, they’ve got one. We won’t stand silent & let them prioritize profits over the health, safety & quality of life of our community.”

During the event, Wilmington residents Nizgui G. & Dulce A. spoke about the health impacts their communities have suffered from for years due to oil drilling, clearly stating that Warren’s activities disregard public health & put profits over people.

“We have sued & won protections, there are laws in place that are supposedly there to prevent this from happening. We did it the right way, the correct way, the legal way, & STILL we don’t have the justice we deserve because simply put, NO OIL DRILLING IS SAFE!” Nizgui, CBE YEJ

Holman United’s Rev. Louis A. Chase urged the city to shut down Warren’s Banning facility and expedite the drafting & adoption of the ordinance that will phase out oil drilling based on the motion the L.A. City Council passed in January 2022. Rev. Chase highlighted the role frontline communities have played in the fight against oil drilling, saying: “It is because of residents & advocates like all of us standing here today, that the L.A. City Council took the historic 1st step toward phasing out oil drilling in January.”

THE BOTTOM LINE IS: Warren has been sidestepping local review and fabricating information in their permit applications to #CalGEM. In fact, some of Warren’s fabricated applications are still pending before CalGEM today. This discovery is especially disappointing because the whole point of creating CalGEM was to shift oversight focus to holding fossil fuel companies accountable and to safeguard public health and the environment.

ON MARCH 10 CBE members and staff decided to stand up and fight back against Warren’s illegal operations. We submitted a letter to LA City outlining how Warren is gaming the system, and called on the City to shut down these illegal operations.

IN MID-MARCH LA City found Warren in violation of the LA Municipal Code and issued an Order to Comply. However, Warren appealed this Order to only further delay accountability. And in the meantime, Warren is operating under those same CalGEM permits, and illegally polluting our community every day.

WE KNOW ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS POSSIBLE. We’re calling on LA City and CalGEM to start the process of suspending these illegal operations and ordering a shut-down. No one should be forced to live on the frontlines of toxic oil drilling operations. And to learn that Warren has been illegally expanding operations twists the knife.

WHILE WARREN CONTINUES TO DODGE ACCOUNTABILITY, OUR FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES HAVE A VISION FOR A CLEANER AND HEALTHIER FUTURE.

Thanks to STAND-LA, CBE, Congresswoman Barragan, and most importantly, all the frontline communities for continuing to fight for No Drilling Where Were Living and pushing the city to take actions that will protect the health of all Angelenos.