How Drilling Oil Might Help California Meet Its Environmental GoalsHow Drilling Oil Might Help California Meet Its Environmental Goals
A tar seep from oil deposits is seen at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles on July 30, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

How Drilling Oil Might Help California Meet Its Environmental Goals

New study suggests natural oil seeps might be driving California’s greenhouse gas emissions.
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LOS ANGELES—When students in Jamie Rector’s Energy and Civilization course at the University of California, Berkeley, came to him with the idea for a project on California’s abandoned oil wells, he was intrigued.

The state has more than 120,000 abandoned oil and gas wells, as well as 30,000 idle and 70,000 active wells. Many were drilled or dug in the late 1800s, clustered in areas such as downtown Los Angeles and near present-day Dodger Stadium, where the California oil boom began.
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