December 10, 2025
Contact: Scott Kuhn, Assistant County Counsel, skuhn@counsel.lacounty.gov or 323-719-9606.
LA County Sues Oil Companies for Failing to Plug Idle Oil and Gas Wells in Inglewood
Unplugged wells leak toxic pollutants, threatening public health
Los Angeles County filed an environmental justice lawsuit today against oil and gas well operators to force them to address dangers to human health and the environment caused by unplugged idle and exhausted oil and gas wells in the Inglewood Oil Field (IOF).
The lawsuit alleges that Sentinel Peak Resources California LLC, Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas LLC, Plains Resources, Inc., and Chevron U.S.A., Inc. failed to properly decommission and plug exhausted and idle oil and gas wells, thereby causing toxic pollutants to leak into the air, land and water, leading to significant environmental harms and health risks to communities surrounding the IOF.
“We are making it clear to these oil companies that Los Angeles County is done waiting and that we remain unwavering in our commitment to protect residents from the harmful impacts of oil drilling. Plugging idle oil and gas wells—so they no longer emit toxins into communities that have been on the frontlines of environmental injustice for generations—is not only the right thing to do, it’s the law,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “At the very least, oil companies that have long profited from this land must uphold their responsibilities to properly close these wells and ensure they cause no further harm.”
Mitchell’s district includes the oil field, and she led ongoing County efforts to ban new oil and gas extraction and mandate the phase-out of existing drilling in unincorporated LA County.
More than one million people live within five miles of the IOF, which is surrounded by homes and apartments as well as recreational, institutional, commercial and industrial uses.
The County’s complaint alleges that over 25% of unplugged wells in the IOF (157 of 581) are idle, and over 70 other wells in the IOF are exhausted. These oil and gas wells continue to emit toxins into the environment and surrounding communities, presenting unacceptable dangers to human health and the environment. Those dangers could be prevented if operators properly decommissioned and plugged the wells.
“This lawsuit demonstrates the County’s commitment to realizing our sustainability goals by addressing the impacts of the fossil fuel industry on frontline communities and the environment,” said Rita Kampalath, the County’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “We are dedicated to moving toward a fossil-fuel free LA County.”
The complaint alleges that rather than spending their money to properly decommission the wells, defendants unfairly and unjustly enriched themselves by investing their money elsewhere, allowing the unplugged, exhausted wells to continue to cause harm to the environment and human health. If defendants do not properly plug and decommission these wells, the State and taxpayers could ultimately bear the enormous costs of doing that work.
The lawsuit, filed by County Counsel Dawyn R. Harrison on behalf of the People of the State of California and the County, seeks injunctive relief to require the wells to be properly plugged and abatement for the harms caused by the pollution from the wells. The lawsuit alleges that the current owner of the IOF, Sentinel, is committing unfair business practices by failing to plug and decommission its idle oil wells and seeks civil penalties of up to $2,500 per day for each well that is in violation of the law.
“The goal of this lawsuit is to force these oil companies to clean up their mess and stop business practices that disproportionately impact people of color living near these oil wells,” Harrison said. “My office is determined to achieve environmental justice for communities impacted by these oil wells and to prevent taxpayers from being stuck with a huge cleanup bill.”
State regulations define “idle well” as “any well that for a period of 24 consecutive months has not either produced oil or natural gas” and an “exhausted well” as an oil well that yields an average daily production equal to or less than two barrels of oil.
County Counsel’s Affirmative Litigation and Consumer Protection Division will prosecute the case in civil court.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, and a copy of the complaint is available here: LINK