News
History of Racism Leaves Black Californians Most at Risk from Oil and Gas Drilling, New Research Shows
Even as fossil fuel extraction declined in the state, low-income, Black and Hispanic residents continued to face disproportionate risks from living near wells, and Black residents were exposed to the most intensive operations.
By Liza Gross
Decades before movie moguls produced celluloid heroes, oil claimed the spotlight in Los Angeles. California’s oil industry took off in the mid-1870s just 30 miles north of what would later become Hollywood Boulevard.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: petroleum
State of Play
While electric-powered vehicles may be the ride of the future, oil remains at least for now the dominant fuel for transportation around the world. And after a period of time at the end of the 20th century when oil was subject to wide fluctuations in price, new supplies in North America as a result of non-conventional recovery techniques have helped stabilize prices.