The Trump administration sued California on Wednesday seeking to stop and overturn a state law requiring new oil and gas wells be at least 3,200 feet away from sensitive homes and neighborhoods.
What happened: The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, claims that SB 1137, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in 2022, is unconstitutional because it is preempted by federal mineral leasing law and asks for the law to be paused and declared invalid.
Federal officials cited President Donald Trump’s April direction to the Justice Department to stop state laws that “burden” domestic energy production.
“This is yet another unconstitutional and radical policy from Gavin Newsom that threatens our country’s energy independence and makes energy more expensive for the American people,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a press release.
