The ruling found the county's environmental review didn't go far enough to protect farmland, groundwater and communities living within a few hundred feet of oil and gas production.

A public meeting on Jan. 17 provided a glimpse into the tensions surrounding a carbon capture and storage project proposed for the foothills above Bakersfield, California, in the heart of the state’s oil country.

New federal funding aims to supercharge carbon capture technology in Kern County as the government pursues ambitious climate goals.

California officials unveiled a plan to permanently seal some of the state’s more than 5,000 orphaned oil wells, including dozens nestled among Kern County neighborhoods that have been the focus of advocate attention for decades.

In a recent visit to the Valley, federal and local officials touted the benefits of carbon capture, a technology seen as pivotal in the fight against global warming.

Uduak-Joe Ntuk has resigned after three years of leading the Geologic Energy Management Division.

Statewide, a number of reports have surfaced accusing signature-gatherers of misleading people with a petition against an oil rule. State officials say they are investigating the claims.

Gov. Newsom talked up clean energy at the California Economic Summit in Bakersfield. But his optimism doesn't jibe with Kern County leaders, who say they are staring down a financial crisis amid declining oil revenues

Kern County's coffers have been walloped by a decline in its tentpole industries: Agriculture, oil and gas.

The law signed by Gov. Newsom last month bans new oil and gas drilling within about half a mile of homes, schools, and hospitals starting in 2023. Shortly after it was signed into law, oil industry representatives moved to repeal the legislation through a referendum.