CalGEM’s Enforcement Program takes actions to prevent damage and uphold public and environmental safety. This includes issuing administrative orders and civil penalties in response to actual or potential threats to life, health, property, or natural resources. It strives to ensure there is a level-playing field for those who comply with their regulatory obligations, and issues orders and penalties for those who do not.
VIOLATIONS
CalGEM staff work to identify and verify possible violations and take actions to bring violators into conformity with the law and prevent harm. Appropriate penalties for violations offer assurance of equity between those who comply with regulatory requirements and those who violate them.
CalGEM is responsible for enforcing all regulations and statutes within its jurisdiction. This includes oversight of bonding, idle wells, underground injection control, geothermal operations, underground gas storage, and field operations.
CalGEM staff assess evidence and the severity of the impacts, and, as appropriate, take corrective measures that can include administrative orders, civil penalties, and civil or criminal referrals. Depending on the severity of the violation, an operator can be assessed a penalty up to $25,000 per day per violation in an administrative civil penalty. For geothermal operations, the maximum penalty is $5,0000 per day.
Where does the money go?
Administrative civil penalties collected from operators go into an Oil and Gas Environmental Remediation Account for plugging and abandoning (permanently sealing) oil and gas wells, decommissioning facilities, or remediating sites that otherwise might pose a danger. The State Supervisor of Oil and Gas has the option of allowing operators to spend up to 50 percent of assessed administrative penalties on supplemental environmental project.
Community Concerns
Submit a community concern and who to contact for urgent oil and gas operation matters at our Community Concerns page. To report oil and gas operation concerns, suspected problems, or complaints, please email
CommunityConcern@conservation.ca.gov
REGULATORY AUTHORITY
The Office of Enforcement in the Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) was created in 2018 to facilitate the statewide Enforcement program and ensure oil and gas operators comply with
California Statutes and Regulations.
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SB 1137 – Establishes new safety measures to protect public health by creating a 3,200-foot Health Protection Zones (HPZ) (buffer zones) between oil and gas operations and community spaces.
- AB 1057 – Recent statutory and regulatory changes to enhance compliance affecting the Underground Injection Control, Underground Gas Storage, and Idle Well programs and legislation signed in October 2019.
