Despite an ongoing lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management for how it reviews the environmental impact of oil and gas wells in Kern County, environmental groups say the federal agency has approved 29 new permits near communities.

Those groups are now suing the bureau to force them to stop.

San Francisco-based Earthjustice alleged in a lawsuit Tuesday that BLM violated state and federal law in approving 25 oil permits near Maricopa and four near Lost Hills. Attorneys say the bureau never did any environmental review on those permits even though they are within 3,200 feet of sensitive locations.

“We’re going back to court for what are now becoming routine violations and disregard of our country’s laws and California’s Valley communities,” said Michelle Ghafar, an attorney with Earthjustice. “The law requires the BLM to look at big-picture pollution when it approves a bunch of new drilling permits in the same oil fields on the same day.”

Oil Drilling Adds to Poor Air Quality: Asthma Group

The Central California Asthma Collaborative says oil drilling greatly contributes to poor air quality in the San Joaquin Valley. Poor air quality can cause asthma, heart attacks, and low birth-weight in infants.

“The science is clear: Oil and gas drilling can leak methane and other toxins that poison the air, water, and soil,” said Jasmine Vazin, deputy director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign. Earthjustice represents the Sierra Club and the asthma collaborative in the lawsuit. Earthjustice was formerly known as the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.

Even though the permits are near other oil wells, attorneys for Earthjustice say the agency needs to study how all the new wells will impact the environment.

The bureau says emissions fall below thresholds required under the Clean Air Act, the lawsuit states. The ongoing lawsuit, however, contends that environmental review should include all wells.

“In December 2024, without waiting for this court to resolve the current ongoing challenge to BLM’s flawed review of drilling permits, and with no public comment opportunity, the agency approved an additional 25 permits for Holmes Western Oil Corporation to drill new oil wells in the Valley,” the lawsuit states. “A month later, in January 2025, the agency perfunctorily approved four more permits for Chevron U.S.A.”

Requests for comment from Holmes, Chevron, and BLM were not returned before publication of this story.

Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2024 signed legislation creating the 3,200-foot buffer zone.

Even though BLM operates on federal lands, operators still need to get permits from the California Geologic Energy Management Division, a spokesperson with the asthma collaborative said.

“This lawsuit seeks to hold BLM accountable and push for stronger protections aligned with California’s environmental and public health priorities,” the spokesperson said.