• Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) announced that Assembly Bill 1866, which addresses idle oil wells, has made it to the California Senate floor, according to an Aug. 15 statement from Hart’s office. The legislation specifically mandates that oil companies plug an estimated 40,000 idle wells in California and prioritize plugging wells within 3,200 feet of communities. Idle oil wells in California act as a major source of methane gas emissions, groundwater contamination, and air pollution, according to Hart’s office. By one estimate, about two-thirds of idle oil wells are leaking methane—a climate super-pollutant that’s at least 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide. “This bill is very simple. Oil companies that have drilled and profited from pumping oil should be financially responsible for plugging their old wells—not California taxpayers. My legislation will safeguard communities that are most harmed by the negative health impacts of neighborhood oil drilling, protect taxpayers from paying cleanup costs, and create thousands of jobs.” Hart said in the statement. “Idle oil wells in California act as a major source of methane gas emissions, groundwater contamination, and air pollution. The facts are clear—this serious problem is getting worse and can’t be ignored. I will work hard in the next remaining weeks in the legislative session to successfully pass AB 1866 through the Senate and on to the governor’s desk for his signature.”
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) recently toured projects, agencies, and Central Coast businesses that have benefited from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to mark a milestone: $1 billion invested in projects across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties, according to an Aug. 16 statement from Carbajal’s office. Carbajal helped write and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with the Biden-Harris administration in 2021 through his role as a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “And since November of 2021, we have seen that law bring new federal funds to projects across the Central Coast and throughout our state,” Carbajal said in the statement. “Now we have surpassed $1 billion for projects and operations in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties—for road, bridge, and highway upgrades, for clean water projects and climate resiliency investments, for improved transit and rail options, for expanded high-speed broadband, and so much more. And, of course, these investments bring new good-paying jobs to our region, an estimated 13,000 jobs and counting. That’s a win-win.”
• Californians will soon have multiple options to have a secure and convenient mobile driver’s license or state ID on their mobile devices in their Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, according to an Aug. 15 statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. These new capabilities give multiple ways to add and present California driver’s licenses and ID cards using iPhone, Apple Watch, and Android devices, which are a part of the DMV’s broader Mobile Driver’s License (mDL) pilot. “We’re partnering with two iconic California companies—Apple and Google—to provide convenient, private, and secure driver’s licenses and ID cards directly on people’s phones,” Newsom said in the statement. “This is a big step in our efforts to better serve all Californians, meeting people where they’re at and with technology people use every day.” Californians will be able to use these new options to present their driver’s license or ID card in Google Wallet or Apple Wallet at select businesses and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport security checkpoints and in select apps. As of Aug. 15, more than 500,000 Californians have added an mDL to their phone using the California DMV Wallet app. The mDL pilot program is limited to 1.5 million participants.