Last week, over 1,600 gallons of oil leaked out of a pipeline in the Inglewood Oil Field. The spill happened on April 4, when a worker accidentally left a valve open. Although the owner of the pipeline, E&B Natural Resources, claimed that the spill was successfully contained and that no one was harmed, the incident revitalized old concerns held by environmental groups and nearby residents over their health and safety.

The Inglewood Oil Field is the largest urban oil field in the country. It spans a monstrous 1,000 acres across Culver City and the historically Black neighborhood Baldwin Hills. The oil field’s toxic facilities threaten the health of over 1 million residents located within its vicinity- the majority of whom are people of color.

The Inglewood Oil Field presents an example of how neighborhoods of color have historically experienced the disproportionate burdens of environmental harm. However, it also shows a potential pathway to resolution that includes city governments and community activists.

What is an oil field and what are the risks of living near one?

An oil field is a tract of land used for extracting petroleum from the ground. Petroleum, may be more widely known as a “fossil fuel”, which is used as a source of energy for cars, heating, electricity, among other things. Because petroleum sits deep under the earth’s surface, oil companies must create ‘oil wells’, or deep bores in the ground, in order to reach it. The oil is then extracted using a pumpjack, which you may have seen if you’ve ever driven towards LAX on the 405 going South.

Although the E&B claimed that they were able to contain the liquid petroleum before they reached local neighborhoods, the toxic emissions released from the spillage put vulnerable populations, like children and those with respiratory illnesses, at risk.

Oil fields emit carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. During oil production, oil fields will emit a host of toxic chemicals. Carcinogens are chemicals that are known to cause cancer. A common carcinogen emitted during oil production includes Benzene, which is known to cause Leukemia. Endocrine disruptors are man made chemicals that can create problems within a person’s developmental, reproductive, neurological, and physical health. Formaldehyde, another common emission from oil fields, is known to cause respiratory problems like asthma and skin problems such as dermatitis.

Other toxic emissions include ultra-fine particulate matter, which causes respiratory illnesses and nosebleeds. Hydrogen sulfide is another commonly emitted chemical easily identifiable by its distinct ‘rotten egg’ smell. This toxin is known to cause chronic headaches, nausea, and convulsions.

Why is the Inglewood oil spill an issue of environmental justice?

    Environmental injustice refers to the disproportionate distribution of environmental harms and hazards on historically underserved communities- particularly communities of color, those in poverty, and disabled people.

The disproportionate placement of toxic polluting facilities in neighborhoods with majority people of color is considered a form of environmental justice.

Environmental justice is founded in the idea that unfair environmental outcomes are rooted in the social injustices purveying within our current social systems. Populations that face multiple forms of oppression, such as racism and poverty, by the way that our governments, economies, politics, and laws are set up are also those who are most vulnerable to environmental harms.

Inglewood and Baldwin Hills have been historically Black neighborhoods since the mid-1920’s due to racist housing and lending practices such as redlining. Redlining was a practice used by real estate agents to determine which neighborhoods were worthy of investment and which neighborhoods were not. During the 1920’s, real estate agents literally color-coded maps of Los Angeles and drew red lines around majority Black and immigrant neighborhoods-like Baldwin Hills- to mark them as ‘risky’ for investment.

The creation of racially-coded maps informed racist lending practices by banks, who denied mortgages and loans to people of color. This made it impossible for people of color to move out of redlined neighborhoods. High polluting companies, like oil producers, took advantage of politically and economically disenfranchised neighborhoods by placing their toxic facilities in them. This would perpetuate the downgrading of redlined neighborhoods even further.

Inglewood was highly desirable land for oil companies in particular because it sat on top of the Newport-Inglewood fault line- a rich source of oil. The proximity of Baldwin Hills to an oil production site made it an even ‘riskier’ neighborhood to real estate agents due to the potential health risks it posed to residents. Although redlining is no longer a legal housing practice, the toxic facilities continue to stand in Black, low income, and immigrant neighborhoods. A large issue that environmental justice advocates seek to remedy is the generational poisoning of vulnerable neighborhoods by polluting factories and racist institutions.

What is the city doing?

In August of 2020, Culver City adopted a resolution that would phase out gas and oil production in the Inglewood Oil Fields and replace it with renewable energy. After a preliminary examination, the City Council Oil Drilling Subcommittee declared that a five-year phase out period would ensure the safe decommissioning of active oil wells and the ‘just transition’ to renewable energy.

The Culver City community banned together with large organizations and unions to give testimony to the Culver City councilmembers on what a ‘just transition’ should look like. Union members, including the United Steelworkers Local 675 and California Nurses Association, environmental groups, such as NRDC and the Center for Biological Diversity, renewable energy advocates, including GRID Alternatives and Clean Power Alliance, and local residents and doctors came together to advocate for a transition that would not jeopardize Culver City residents’ health or jobs.

Although the work of Culver City is promising, the oil wells located within its boundaries make up less than 1% of the entire Inglewood Oil Field. Neighborhoods like Baldwin Hills and Inglewood although lie next to Culver City, reap none of their environmental benefits because they are technically a part of the city of Los Angeles. In order for there to be more comprehensive eradication of environmental injustice, we need county and state-wide reform.

“As the oil industry inevitably declines in California, it’s critical that we have public policy that ensures a just transition to a clean energy economy and responsible clean-up of existing wells,” said Monica Embrey, an Associate Director of the Sierra Club. “It’s time for elected leaders in the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and the entire State of California to take a lesson from Culver City and take meaningful action to protect workers and frontline communities.”