LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – An oil drilling facility in West Los Angeles that has been the focus of neighborhood health concerns for decades will finally be coming down, City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky announced on Friday.
Council members voted 12-0 on Wednesday to formally terminate the city’s agreement with operators of the West Pico pumping station, located in the 9000 block of West Pico Boulevard at Doheny Drive, which has been extracting crude oil since 1965.
For years, neighbors have complained of foul smells and noise coming from the site, which is surrounded by walls and has a tower concealing equipment.
“This closure agreement is a major victory for the Pico-Robertson community and a turning point in our efforts to phase out harmful oil drilling citywide,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement. “For too long, oil drilling sites like this one have jeopardized the health of residents and exposed families to unacceptable health and safety risks.”
Under the agreement, city leadership will work with the facility’s operators, Pacific Coast Energy Company, to wind down oil extraction and enact zone changes that would “increase residential opportunities on the site, Yaroslavsky’s office said.
Potential future uses include housing, green space and other community amenities, according to her office.
No timetable was offered.
An estimated 1,000 oil wells are still operating in Los Angeles. See them on this interactive map from the L.A. Times.
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – An oil drilling facility in West Los Angeles that has been the focus of neighborhood health concerns for decades will finally be coming down, City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky announced on Friday. Council members voted 12-0 on Wednesday to formally terminate the city’s agreement with operators of the West Pico pumping station, […]
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