EXPLAINER: California proposes limits on community drilling

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California regulators’ ambitious plan to block new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of schools and homes is far from finalized. Environmental groups plan to push the state to do more to close existing wells within that zone over a two-month comment period. The oil industry says it doesn’t support the rule because it creates a one-size-fits-all approach for the massive state. The proposal will now go through more than a year of bureaucratic wrangling before it takes effect. It would be the largest buffer zone between drilling and community sites in the nation if adopted.