Energy & CivilizationStudent Project Showcase: Fall 2023

Fall 2023

Fall 2023

Group Members

Joseph Silvi, Sara Crogh, Mauricio Vergara, and Dominic Lizardi

Problem Identification Video

Project Report

Executive Summary

California’s ambitious climate and pollution abatement goals have led to the state taking considerable measures to reduce carbon emissions and increase the supply of cleaner energy. California’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2045 will necessitate an exponential increase in the development of low-carbon energy sources as well as employing methods to reduce high-carbon emitting industries. California also aims to protect its residents from excessive environmental pollution, especially those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

A strong candidate for aiding in this rapid development of new energy sources is California’s oil and gas industry. This California industry could substantially contribute to California’s just energy transition by bolstering the state’s energy supply with low-carbon, low-pollution energy by producing more energy locally and employing the use of newer technologies. It could also help California achieve its general climate and pollution targets by producing a larger share of energy products within the state, which have a lower environmental impact than those currently consumed by California. Ironically, most of California’s current energy imports have a damaging impact on the global environment as they come from countries that have a blatant disregard for environmental protection and human health.

California’s next generation of oil and gas industry leaders can also aggressively continue to remediate and repurpose the land used by its legacy oil fields. The footprint of the industry’s current activities could be considerably reduced and reformed, leading to clean production, transitionary energy projects, affordable housing, and recreational spaces. Further, because of existing infrastructure developed over the course of more than 150 years of oil and gas activities in the state, this existing footprint can be maximized in an environmentally-conscious way to efficiently produce more clean energy for the state.

New technologies will allow California’s oil and gas industry to reduce its already small share of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, which amount to less than 3% of the state’s annual carbon emissions. Embracing clean, environmentally responsible oil and gas production in California would also provide much-needed, high-paying jobs, especially to minorities. In California, the industry mostly employs hispanic individuals, especially in disadvantaged communities as reported by the United States Government’s Justice40 program.

Final Paper: The Critical Role of the Modern Oil and Gas Industry in Revolutionizing California's Energy Future