California is considering joining the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) that is aiming to set an end date to oil and gas production, according to campaigner group Oil Change International.
California could join as an associate member, as opposed to a full member of the alliance, according to Oil Change International, as the state works towards phasing out oil and gas production, but has not committed to a date yet.
California proposed last month to prohibit drilling new wells within 3,200ft (1km) of schools and homes, with tougher limits on air emissions from existing oil and gas facilities within that buffer zone. California governor Gavin Newsom said then that California did not see oil and gas as part of its future.
The state's onshore crude production averaged 428,000 b/d in 2019, compared with oil consumption of 1.8mn b/d that year, according to the EIA. State oil producers oppose the move.
Quebec will also join, even though it has no oil or gas production.
"Having a US state and a Canadian province taking part in the alliance sends an interesting political signal, in particular in Canada where Quebec's decision has generated a lot of discussions about the country's oil policies," said Oil Change International global policy campaign manager Romain Ioualalen.
All countries and states party to the BOGA, which is led by the governments of Denmark and Costa Rica, will be announced tomorrow, but no major oil producers have said they would take part.
The UK, a producing nation and host of the UN Cop 26 climate conference, said it will seek areas for continued collaboration on the fossil fuel and climate agenda with BOGA members and others, "including on ending fossil fuel support for the energy sector".
"No other significant oil and gas producing nation has gone as far as the UK in supporting sector's gradual transition to a low carbon future, as demonstrated by our North Sea Transition Deal," the UK government said today.
Ioualalen said this "shows a lack of real coherence in the UK's policies. They are stopping public investments into oil and gas projects overseas, but have no plans to phase out their domestic production."
Other European countries to join are France, Sweden and Ireland. The former said in 2017 that it would not grant any new drilling permits in the country or its overseas territories. Ireland committed to end the issuing of new licences for the exploration and extraction of gas earlier this year.
New Zealand could join the alliance as an associate member, according to Oil Change International. New Zealand already signalled it would seek to phase out fossil fuels carefully over time, having banned the granting of new offshore oil and gas exploration permit in 2018.
