Assembly member Isaac G. Bryan (D-55, Los Angeles) was named one of this year’s Sierra Club environmental champions for his efforts as a legislator to protect the environment and to hold fossil fuel interests accountable for the pollution they create.
Assembly member Bryan was recognized at the Sierra Club’s 17th Annual Political Leadership Awards Ceremony held on Saturday, August 10th in downtown Los Angeles. Bryan has made environmental justice a cornerstone of his legislative work authoring bills that build awareness of and protections for California’s communities that are most impacted by pollution and climate change.
“Our communities have disproportionately borne the negative environmental effects of oil extraction,” stated Assemblymember Bryan. “Because of our proximity to toxic drilling, we die sooner. Our children inherit higher asthma rates. And, we have a collective responsibility to change it.”
Among his legislative successes, Bryan has fought to establish mandatory setback zones between oil production and residential neighborhoods (SB 1137, Gonzalez, 2022) and secured $5 million to establish the California Center for Climate Change Education at West Los Angeles College providing students with career pathways to the clean
energy and climate technology industries.
In this current legislative session, the Assembly member is authoring AB 2716, a bill that would a bill that would charge oil producers in the Inglewood oil field $10,000 per month for each well that produces less than 15 barrels per day. These “stripper wells,” as they are known in the industry, continue to release toxins into the local environment while producing inconsequential amounts of oil. The industry will either have to clean them up, or pay directly for their harm. “Clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment are attainable for all communities,” said Bryan. “Our choices today will have a ripple effect for generations.”
Theresa Southerland
Photo- Former Culver City Mayor and Sierra Club Board Member Meghan Sahli-Wells with Assembly member Isaac Bryan at Award Ceremony
