Fresh from a victory against numerous Republican contenders in the fourth gubernatorial recall election of our nation’s history, Gov. Gavin Newsom faces renewed calls from environmentalists to address the climate crisis by stopping all new fossil fuel permits, ending fossil fuel drilling and instituting immediate buffer zones between drill operations and community sites.
“Governor Newsom’s victory belongs to the environmental activists and constituents who delivered their support when it mattered most,” said Alexandra Nagy, California director for Food & Water Watch. “Now Newsom must return that support to Californians in the midst of this climate crisis.”
Nagy said Newsom has taken small but encouraging steps to phase out fracking — without which he surely would not have enjoyed the critical support of so many Californians who are demanding real climate action.
But the crisis is deepening faster than Newsom is acting, the director said.
“Wildfires made worse and droughts lengthened by a warming planet point to one obvious solution: stop new fossil fuel permits, phase out fossil fuels immediately and institute 2,500-foot buffers between drill operations and community sites,” Nagy said.
“Gov. Newsom’s fight isn’t over because our fight isn’t over. We must protect our planet and our people from fossil fuel extraction and infrastructure expansions. It’s time to follow the guidance of scientists all over the world and end oil and gas drilling now.”