The deadline to file a new lawsuit challenging Kern County’s oil and gas environmental review passed with no fresh suit filed, raising optimism that local oil permitting could resume within the next year. However, environmental groups say objections already submitted in an ongoing case could still delay permits, keeping uncertainty in place. The outcome may hinge on proposed state legislation backed by the Newsom administration that would exempt Kern County’s permitting system from CEQA challenges. While legal hurdles remain, county officials say the path toward resuming local oil permitting now looks more likely than it did just weeks ago.
