Connect with us

Published

3 years ago

on

Magali Sanchez-Hall, a Wilmington resident for over two decades, has struggled with asthma her entire life. She says the health issue stems from her proximity to oil and gas drilling.
Emma Newburger | CNBC

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — Stepping out of a coffee shop near Interstate 110 in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles, you’re immediately hit by a foul odor.

Magali Sanchez-Hall, 51, who’s lived here for more than two decades, is used to the smell of rotting eggs wafting from the hundreds of oil wells operating in the neighborhood. She’s used to her neighbors describing chronic coughs, skin rashes and cancer diagnoses, and to the asthma that affects her own family, who live only 1,500 feet from a refinery.

“When people are getting sick with cancer or having asthma, they might think it’s normal or blame genetics,” she said. “We don’t often look at the environment we’re in and think — the chemicals we’re breathing are the cause.”

Wilmington, a predominantly working-class and Latino immigrant community of more than 50,000 people, has some of the highest rates of asthma and cancer in the state, according to a report by the non-profit Communities for a Better Environment. It’s surrounded by six oil refineries and wedged in by several freeways and the ports of L.A. and Long Beach.

California, the seventh-largest oil-producing state in the U.S., has no rule or standard for the distance that active oil wells need to be from communities. For many Californians, especially Black and brown residents, acrid smells, noise and dirt from oil production is part of the neighborhood.

Walking around Wilmington, pumpjacks are visible in public parks, next to schoolyards where children play and outside of people’s windows at home. At night, the sky is lit orange from refinery flares.

The discovery of oil in the 1920s led to significant population growth in the area. People built and bought houses next to the oil fields and refineries, which employ thousands of residents in the area. In L.A. County, the industry employs about 37,000 people, according to a report by Capitol Matrix Consulting.

Oil tanks wedged between homes in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Emma Newburger | CNBC

More than 2 million California residents live within 2,500 feet of an operational oil and gas well and another 5 million — 14% of the state’s population — are within 1 mile, according to an analysis by the non-profit FracTracker Alliance.

Residents are especially vulnerable in L.A. County, which is home to the Inglewood Oil Field. The 1,000-acre site is one of the largest urban oil fields in the country and is owned and operated by Sentinel Peak Resources. More than half a million people live within a quarter mile of active wells that release hazardous air pollutants like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter and formaldehyde.

Sentinel Peak did not respond to requests for comment.

Sanchez-Hall didn’t understand the link between the nearby refineries and the health issues in her community until she left. She graduated college and pursued a masters degree at UCLA, where she took environmental law classes, and now advocates for clean air and energy in her neighborhood.

“Wilmington is ground zero for pollution,” Sanchez-Hall said. “Now I understood why people were dying of cancer around me. We’re not disposable people. There is a huge disadvantage because many of us don’t know what’s happening.”

No buffer zone between drilling and people

Research shows that people who live near oil and gas drilling sites are exposed to harmful pollution and are at greater risk of preterm births, asthma, respiratory disease and cancer.

Residing near oil wells is linked to reduced lung function and wheezing, and in some cases the respiratory damage rivals that of daily exposure to secondhand smoke or living beside a freeway, according to a recent study published in the journal Environmental Research.

Another study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, analyzed nearly 3 million births in California of women living within 6.2 miles of at least one oil or gas well. The authors concluded that living near those wells during pregnancy increased the risk of low-birthweight babies.

Environmental advocacy groups have urged California Gov. Gavin Newsom to instate a 2,500-foot buffer zone, or setback, between fossil fuel operations and homes and schools. This year, a bill to ban fracking and instate a buffer zone failed in a state committee vote.

Other oil-producing states including Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Texas have already implemented some form of buffer zone between properties and wells.

In 2019, Newsom ordered his regulators to study such a health-and-safety rule, but they didn’t meet the December 2020 deadline for action. State oil regulators also missed a more recent deadline in the spring to release new regulations that would help protect the health and safety of people living near drilling sites. The California Geologic Energy Management Division, which oversees the state’s fossil fuel industries, hasn’t yet set a new timeline for regulations.

Meanwhile, the governor since 2019 has approved roughly 9,014 oil and gas permits, according to an analysis of state data by Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance.

“Frontline communities have been waiting for very basic protections from dangerous oil and gas projects for too long,” said Hollin Kretzmann, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, which recently sued the state for approving thousands of drilling and fracking projects without the required environmental review.

“A safety buffer is the bare minimum,” Kretzmann said. “The fact that our state continues to delay is frustrating and completely unacceptable.”

Josiah Edwards, 21, grew up near the largest oil refinery on the West Coast. “Oil drilling and refineries were always an ever present background in my life,” he said.
Emma Newburger | CNBC

The Western States Petroleum Association and the State Building and Construction Trades Council have opposed a statewide mandate to establish buffer zones, arguing that doing so would harm workers and increase fuel costs.

“A one-size-fits-all approach for an entire state for an issue like this is rarely good public policy,” said WSPA spokesman Kevin Slagle. “Setback distances not based data specific to a region could lead to significant impacts on communities, jobs and the affordability and reliability of energy in the state.”

Environmentalists have also called on Newsom to place an immediate moratorium on all new oil and gas permits in those zones.

Earlier this year, the governor directed state agencies to halt new fracking permits by 2024 and to consider phasing out oil production by 2045. The announced marked a shift in position by Newsom, who’s previously said he doesn’t have executive authority to ban fracking, which accounts for just 2% of oil extraction in California, according to the state’s Department of Conservation.

Newsom’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Newsom’s predecessor, Jerry Brown, who held office between 2011 and 2018, approved 21,397 new oil wells. More than three-quarters of new wells under Brown’s administration are in low-income communities and communities of color, according to state data analyzed by the Center for Biological Diversity.

‘I could have had a better life’

Josiah Edwards, 21, grew up in Carson, a city located in the south bay region of Los Angeles and near the West Coast’s largest oil refinery, owned by Marathon Petroleum Corp. Edwards and his family members suffered from asthma and were constantly concerned about breathing in emissions of the nearby refineries.

“Oil drilling and refineries were always an ever present background in my life,” said Edwards, who now volunteers for the Sunrise Movement, an environmental advocacy group, in Los Angeles.

Edwards recalled getting bloody noses as a child and coming to connect them with the pollution from refineries. He dove into research on how exposure to pollution may contribute to the development of asthma in childhood and wondered if his life would have been different growing up elsewhere.

“It makes me angry and upset. There’s a situation where I could have had a better life with improved health outcomes,” Edwards said. “Even though it still makes me feel angry, I find a lot of hope in what could be. There’s a potential for change.”

Marathon spokesman Jamal Kheiry said the company’s refinery in Carson has invested in air emissions control equipment and cut its criteria pollutant emissions by 35% in the past decade. It’s also invested $25 million to install air monitoring systems along the perimeter of its facilities, and is providing those results to the public.

Wilmington Athletic Complex is located beside oil tanks.
Emma Newburger | CNBC

Phasing out oil and gas locally

Some parts of the state have taken matters into their own hands.

Culver City in L.A. County passed an ordinance to phase out oil and gas extraction in its portion of the Inglewood Oil Field within five years, in one of the most ambitious moves by an oil-producing jurisdiction. The ordinance also requires that all the wells be plugged and abandoned in that time period.

Ventura County, located northwest of L.A., has adopted a 2,500 buffer zone between oil wells and schools and 1,500 feet between wells and homes.

And L.A. County supervisors voted unanimously earlier this month to phase out oil and gas drilling and ban new drill sites in the unincorporated areas. The county is set to determine the quickest way to shut down wells legally before providing a timeline on the phase out.

Jacob Roper, a spokesperson for the Department of Conservation, of which CalGEM is a sub-agency, said the department is “hard at work developing a science-based health and safety regulation to protect communities and workers from the impacts of oil extraction activities.”

“This is a complex set of rules with subject matter outside of our previous regulatory experience,” Roper said. “It involves close collaboration with other state agencies and an independent public health expert panel in an effort to ensure a thorough analysis of relevant science and engineering practices.”

L.A. could become one of the first major cities in the U.S. to nearly phase out fossil fuels from power supply without disruption to the economy, according to a recent study commissioned by the city. Technologies like solar farms, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles would make the transition possible, while mitigating harmful air pollution in the most vulnerable communities.

“There are local officials who are taking this issue seriously,” Kretzmann said. “But the fires, ongoing drought and heatwaves in California are stark reminders that we need much bolder action on fossil fuels.”

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Environment

EcoFlow Easter Sale takes 60% off units with free gear + major EcoCredit rewards, Lectric one-day-only e-bike price cuts to new lows, more

Published

1 hour ago

on

April 1, 2025

By

EcoFlow Easter Sale takes 60% off units with free gear + major EcoCredit rewards, Lectric one-day-only e-bike price cuts to new lows, more

Today’s Green Deals are kicking off April with some major savings, led by EcoFlow’s newly launched Easter Sale that is taking up to 60% off power stations, along with scheduled flash sales, free gear at pricing thresholds, and even larger EcoCredit rewards – including bonus savings – than we’ve seen in past sales. Among the lineup, there’s the DELTA 2 Solar Generator bundle that comes with an expansion battery and two 110W solar panels down at a $1,049 low, among many others. We also spotted Lectric’s one-day-only April Fools flash sale that isn’t joking around as its XP 3.0 e-bikes lead a bunch of price cuts and changed-up bundle packages at new $899 and $1,099 lows. Lastly, EGO is continuing its Power+ savings event with its EGO POWER+ 56V 15-inch String Trimmer that comes with a 2.5Ah battery at $159, along with plenty more lawn care solutions at discounted rates. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s new low price on the NIU BQi-C3 Pro e-bike, the $400 discount on Segway’s latest Max G3 e-scooter, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

EcoFlow Easter Sale takes up to 60% off power stations with free gear, increased EcoCredit rewards, more – all from $169

Now that we’ve switched over to April, EcoFlow has launched its Easter Sale through April 14, with up to $3,737 taken off power stations, complete with scheduled flash sales, free gear at certain thresholds, and higher EcoCredit rewards for members than we’ve seen. Of the two web-exclusive offers this time around, we spotted the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station bundle with a smart extra battery and two 110W solar panels for $1,049 shipped. This package would normally run you $2,596 at full price, and we don’t often see this combination of gear all bundled together either – with past sales mostly offering either the panels or the expansion battery. The deal here comes in as a 60% markdown that puts $1,547 back in your pocket to give you the lowest price we have tracked.

There’s some solid additional savings and promotions going on during this sale, starting with you getting a free Power Hat ($129 value) on orders over $500 or two 125W solar panels ($499 value) on orders over $3,000. From there, we’re seeing increased rewards for members (free to sign-up + get 800 EcoCredits), with standard membership giving you 3x EcoCredits and Plus members scoring 3.5x EcoCredits – plus, you can redeem any you already have to get 5% in extra savings off your order at checkout. On top of this, you’ll also be getting an additional 500 EcoCredits for each order you place during the sale’s timeframe.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

EcoFlow’s DELTA 2 power station makes a great companion for outdoor travels, and trips in general – plus, it can certainly handle keeping essentials running at home should you find yourself in a sudden blackout. This bundle starts you off at a 2,048Wh LiFePO4 capacity that you can further expand to 3,072Wh with an additional expansion battery. It boasts 15 output ports, through which it can dish out up to 1,800W of steady power that is able to surge up to 2,200W for larger backup needs.

The increased power output, as well as charging times, are increased from the brand’s X-Boost tech that is present here, giving you an 80% battery in just 50 minutes when plugged into a wall outlet, or you can wait a little longer at 80 minutes for a full battery. The included solar panels in the bundle give you the option to recharge via the sun’s rays, which you can increase up to a maximum of 500W of input. There’s also the option to connect it to your car’s auxiliary port or utilize its max 1,100W of DC input.

EcoFlow Easter Sale DELTA Pro deals:

EcoFlow Easter Sale DELTA Pro 3 deals:

EcoFlow Easter Sale DELTA Pro Ultra deals:

EcoFlow Easter Sale on-the-go power deals:

EcoFlow Easter Sale expansion battery deals:

EcoFlow Easter Sale solar panel deals:

EcoFlow’s other deals:

You can view the entirety of this sale on the landing page here through April 14, and be sure to keep your eyes open for the flash savings that are scheduled to drop on April 4, 7, 10, and 13-14. We spotted the brand’s newest release, the RIVER 3 Plus Portable Power Station, getting its first discount at Amazon a few days ago, which took costs down to a new $189 low for as long as the savings last.

Lectric Xp 3.0 e-bike

Lectric cuts prices on best-selling XP 3.0 e-bikes to new lows starting from $899 (Today only), more

Lectric has launched an April Fools flash sale through the rest of the day that is taking $100 off all its XP 3.0 e-bikes, plus some additional price cuts from previous sales’ higher rates and bundle change-ups on other models – no joke! Through the day until midnight tonight, you can now score the standard XP 3.0 e-bikes for $899 shipped and the XP 3.0 Long-Range e-bikes for $1,099 shipped. These models are getting brought down off their $999 and $1,199 price tags, with no bundles of free gear coming along – though much of the popular gear that usually comes in bundles are discounted on their landing pages. While we saw the long-range models drop to $1,139 at the end of February and ride through March, this is the first price cut we’ve spotted on the standard models, dropping either version of these popular e-bikes to new all-time low prices.

There’s a reason Lectric’s XP 3.0 e-bikes are the best-selling in America: not only do they offer reliable commuting power, but they do so at a far more affordable rate than most other brands on the market – plus, with these price cuts, the pot is only being sweetened further. The folding frame on any of these e-bikes house a 500W hub motor that peaks at 1,000W, delivering 20 MPH speeds unless you live within a state that permits the higher 28 MPH speeds.

The big difference (and big choice) here will depend entirely on just how far you need it to carry you throughout the day, with its pedal assistance providing you with 45 miles of travel riding the standard models and up to 65 miles of travel riding the long-range models. Yes, don’t worry, there are throttles to go entirely electric, though keep in mind doing so will decrease your traveling range. Along with the free add-on gear, you’ll also enjoy some quality stock features, like the integrated rear cargo rack, puncture-resistant tires, 180mm hydraulic disc brakes, the previously mentioned foldable body, an LCD display, and more.

Lectric XP 3.0 e-bike price cuts – no jokes here! (Today only):

Lectric XPedition 2.0 offers with up to $654 bundles:

Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes with $557 bundle

Lectric ONE LR e-bike with $467 bundle

Lectric XP Trike with $420 bundle

Lectric XPeak 2.0 offers with up to $316 bundles and price cuts:

Lectric XP Lite 2.0 offers with up to $177 bundles:

EGO 56V 15-inch split-shaft cordless string trimmer

Get those weeds under control with EGO’s 56V 15-inch cordless split-shaft string trimmer at $159

Amazon is offering the EGO POWER+ 56V 15-inch String Trimmer with 2.5Ah battery for $159 shipped. Coming down off its more recent $180 rate that is down from its original $200 price tag, this package has mainly kept to its MSRP for most of the last year, with discounts dropping things lowest to $149 back in May 2024 and completely skipping over it for Black Friday and Christmas sales. Today’s deal shaves $21 off the recent going rate ($41 off in total) to give you the third-lowest price we have tracked, sitting just $10 above the low from last summer’s start.

With spring here and many folks jumping back into outdoor upkeep around the home, this is a great opportunity to do away with the noise and fumes of gas guzzlers for an electric solution. This split-shaft string trimmer from EGO delivers a 15-inch cutting swath that is easier to replace broken lines thanks to the rapid-reload head. It also comes with a variable speed control for more versatility in the jobs your tackling, as well as an IPX4 weather resistance that can handle sudden weather changes while you’re still working.

Other notable EGO lawncare deals:

We’ve covered a lot of amazing deals from EGO over the last few weeks that are still going strong. Be sure to check them out before the savings abruptly end:

Best New Year EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

GM is beating EV rivals by giving buyers more choices at lower prices

Published

2 hours ago

on

April 1, 2025

By

GM is beating EV rivals by giving buyers more choices at lower prices

GM-EV-rivals

GM’s electric vehicle sales nearly doubled in the first three months of the year, with impressive growth across all brands. Chevy is now the fastest-growing EV brand in the US, with the electric Equinox and Blazer rolling out, while Cadillac is quickly making a comeback in the luxury segment. Even GMC just had its best first quarter ever. With the broadest selection of models in the industry, GM continues outpacing EV rivals.

Here’s how GM is outpacing EV rivals in the US

After all four of its brands notched double-digit growth in the first quarter, GM led the US auto industry in total, retail, and fleet sales.

GM sold 693,363 vehicles in the first three months of 2025, 17% more than last year. According to Rory Harvey, GM’s president of global markets, the company outpaced every other major automaker, “and the driving force is our portfolio.”

With the “broadest portfolio of EVs in the industry,” GM is emerging as a real EV competitor in the US. GM’s electric vehicle sales nearly doubled (+94%) in the US with 31,887 EVs sold in Q1.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Chevy is now the fastest-growing EV brand in the US, led by the new electric Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado. In Q1, GM sold 10,329 Chevy Equinox, 6,187 Blazer, and 2,383 Silverado EVs.

Chevy-fastest-growing-EV-brand
Chevy Equinox EV LT (Source: GM)

Starting at $34,995, GM calls the Chevy Equinox EV “America’s most affordable 315+ miles range EV.” The 2025 Equinox EV LT FWD has an EPA-estimated range of up to 319 miles.

Cadillac had its best first quarter since 2008, with retail sales up 21%. Although Lyriq sales slipped 26% to 4,300, the luxury brand delivered the first Optiq (1,716) models, Cadillac’s most affordable EV, during the quarter. GM’s luxury brand had its best retail market share since 2014.

Cadillac's-most-affordable-EV
Cadillac Optiq EV (Source: Cadillac)

GMC had its best first quarter, with EV sales surging by 183%. The Hummer EV, including the pickup and SUV versions, saw higher demand, with sales doubling to nearly 3,500. The new GMC Sierra EV contributed another 1,249 to the total. With the 2026 Sierra EV starting at $25,000 less, GMC is poised to see even more demand.

2026-GMC-Sierra-EV-AT4-Elevation
2026 GMC Sierra EV AT4 (left) and Elevation (right) trims (Source: GMC)

Thanks to its wide selection of electric SUVs, pickups, and luxury models, GM expects to remain the second-largest seller of EVs in the US after Tesla.

GM will round out its portfolio with the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV, which is expected to arrive later this year or in early 2026.

Ready to test one out for yourself? We’ve got you covered. You can use our links below to find deals on popular Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC EVs at a dealer near you.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla is sitting on $200 million worth of Cybertruck inventory

Published

2 hours ago

on

April 1, 2025

By

Tesla is sitting on 0 million worth of Cybertruck inventory

incentives EVs

Tesla has about $200 million worth of Cybertrucks in inventory in the US, as the truck is extremely difficult to sell.

A year and a half into production, Cybertruck production has ramped up, and inventory is building up.

Last year, Tesla could blame low Cybertruck deliveries on the production ramp, the more expensive Foundation Series, and the lack of access to the $7,500 tax credit.

All of those excuses are not available to Tesla this year. The Cybertruck is simply proving challenging to sell, and the automaker has to throttle down production to avoid building up too much inventory.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

This proved problematic in March as Tesla had to put a containment hold on the Cybertruck in anticipation of a recall of units produced to date over a trim falling off the truck.

At the production level, the fix was introduced on March 21st and Tesla still needs to fix Cybertrucks delivered to customers.

In the meantime, Tesla finds itself holding more Cybertruck inventory than ever, with almost 2,400 Cybertrucks in new inventory available (via Tesla-Info):

That’s around $200 million worth of Cybertrucks.

With Tesla having issues selling new Cybertrucks, the automaker is reportedly not taking any as trade-ins. Many Cybertruck owners reported trying to trade-in the truck for a new vehicle and they were told that the automaker currently doesn’t accept its own vehicle as a trade-in.

Some owners who have had their trucks in service for extended periods of time are also trying to get Tesla to take the truck back, but the company is forcing them to go through the Lemon Law process.

It’s not surprising to see Tesla not wanting to take back used Cybertrucks as their prices are falling fast.

Used Cybertruck prices are down 55% year over year, 13% over the last three months, and 6% over the last month.

As Tesla doesn’t take the Cybertruck as a trade-in, other used car dealers are also reticent about buying the vehicle. They have been known to give low-ball offers to potential sellers as they wait to see where the price will stabilize.

Electrek’s Take

I think we are far from the bottom. With this kind of inventory on hand, I expect Tesla to introduce discounts. The company is likely waiting to completely sell off its Foundation Series inventory before giving bigger discounts on the regular version.

Then, Tesla is expected to launch the RWD at a cheaper price, which is also likely to affect used prices.

That’s all while Tesla is already throttling down Cybertruck production.

I am really curious to see where this vehicle program is going. I know many have already written it off, but who knows? Maybe it can improve it with a mid-cycle update next year, and it can make a comeback?

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending