California politicians promise to protect the environment much more than they actually do. For environmentalists like me, reconciling a politician’s public statements on environmental issues with their actions

does not take much time:

easy said,

there is no reconciliation between them.

government Gavin Newsom’s stance on oil and gas is no exception. Late last year, the governor called for a special legislative session to hold oil and gas companies accountable for gutting California consumers when gasoline prices spiked last fall by imposing a fine on excess profits. The bill that came out of the session

in March

fell short of the governor’s goals and settled for demanding more transparency in the industry.

Environmental groups, including Sierra Club California, nevertheless supported the measure as a step toward regulating an industry that harmed the working class while also overheating the planet. Newsom himself announced a new sheriff in town and claimed to have brought Big Oil to their knees.

And yet his administration continues to capitulate to the oil industry in other important ways.

from Newsom

the public determination to tackle this industry differs significantly from what is happening behind closed doors.

For example, after the fossil fuel industry used the state’s referendum process to block a critical law that banned new or reworked oil and gas wells within 1,000 yards of homes, schools, parks and health care facilities, the governor condemned the step. He said in a statement that he was proud to have signed the setback measure, Senate Bill 1137, to halt new oil drilling in our neighborhoods and protect California families.

However, since Newsom’s statement, his government’s oil agency, the California Geologic Energy Management Division, or CalGEM, has released hundreds of

permits to rework existing oil and gas wells

and proceed with dangerous operations within adversity zones. CalGEM has approved a total of 897 permits since the start of the year, 62% of which are within the zones that would be protected by SB 1137.

Reworking existing wells

is a major source of pollution that puts communities at increased risk for asthma, cancer and other diseases. Environmental justice advocates fought for decades to secure setbacks from these operations, only to see CalGEM continue to stamp permits while the governor looked on.

Newsom is clearly aware of the impact of the fossil fuel industry on California communities and the environment. Other

departments inside

his administration has taken steps to promote clean air, and Newsom publicly defends them. But CalGEM, the agency charged with protecting public health, safety and the environment in its oversight of the oil, natural gas and geothermal industries, clearly missed the memo.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in the recently released final part of its sixth global climate assessment, calls for cutting two-thirds of global carbon pollution by 2035 and ending dependence on oil and gas by 2040. In the report, UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres says we need to massively accelerate the climate efforts of every country and sector and on every time frame. Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once. For California to do its part to meet these demands, Newsom must align its administrative actions with its public statements.

There are a few more concrete steps Newsom can take to that end. First, he can direct CalGEM to stop issuing new and rework permits, giving priority to revoking permits within the setback zone that would be established by SB 1137.

He should also organize a government-wide effort to plan California’s transition from oil and gas to clean, renewable energy. This transition should take into account the needs of the communities most affected by the transition, in particular existing communities

by

mainly low-income households and people of color.

Finally, he must hold the oil industry responsible for cleaning up abandoned oil wells. Thousands of wells across the state have been abandoned by the industry, and the often exorbitant cleaning costs are unfairly passed on to California taxpayers. CalGEM recently spent more than $34 million in taxpayers’ money to clean up 171 oil wells in Santa Barbara’s Cat Canyon alone.

These steps are practical and immediately achievable. If Newsom is to live up to his reputation as a climate champion and opponent of Big Oil, he must do more than just promise to protect our environment and health.

Brandon Dawson is the director of Sierra Club California.