In a unanimous vote, Los Angeles County backed a ban on oil and gas drilling, which means some 1,600 active and inactive wells would be shut down, the AP reported , adding the timeline for the shut-down has yet to be determined. “The goal is to provide direction to county departments to begin addressing the variety of issues, environmental and climate impacts created by these active and inactive oil and gas wells,” said LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. She represents the district that houses most of the Inglewood oilfield—one of the largest urban oilfields in the country. The California Independent Petroleum Association was against the vote, saying it would lead to hundreds of job losses, raise prices at the pump, and increase California’s dependency on foreign oil. The state imports about 70 percent of the oil it needs. It is also the largest jet fuel and gasoline consumer […]