Greenberg Glusker Environmental Litigation Team Wins Court Affirmation of Culver City Moratorium on New Oil Well Drilling By PXP
Rights of Old Oil Do Not Trump Needs of New Residents; Related CEQA Lawsuit Against LA County Set for April 5th Trial
Greenberg Glusker today announced that the Los Angeles Superior Court has upheld the right of its client, the City of Culver City, California, to regulate expansion and intensification of new oil well drilling in order to protect its residents. In an order issued March 26, 2010, Judge James Chalfant rejected a challenge by an oil company, Plains Exploration & Production Company (PXP), which sought a writ of mandate invaliding the City’s moratorium on new drilling.
The City had issued the temporary ban to allow it time to develop proper regulations of new wells and to address health issues, including concerns arising out of residents’ reports of noxious fumes originating in the Inglewood oil field in 2006.
