About NOPEC
Native Oil Producers and Employees of California (NOPEC) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization founded to defend the rights of homegrown energy producers and California oil workers by taking legal action to overcome illegal government policies that curtail in-state production and make California more dependent on foreign imports into our crowded ports.
Decision makers need to say “No to OPEC” and yes to energy made by Californian workers under the state’s rigorous environmental, labor, and human rights standards. Any energy demanded by Californians should come from California to the greatest extent possible. NOPEC is led by a board of California independent producers who are committed to fighting on behalf of the cleanest oil production on the planet.
RECENT LITIGATION
NOPEC has filed three lawsuits to date to protect in-state energy production against illegal government actions. NOPEC successfully sued both the City and County of Los Angeles over their ordinances that would phase out duly permitted oil production.
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SB 1137
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NOPEC recently filed a legal challenge against SB 1137, a state law which imposes a 3,200-foot arbitrary setback for oil operations without the science to back up such a policy. In May of 2025, NOPEC, in partnership with a group of mineral royalty owners, filed two lawsuits against the state to challenge SB 1137.
The lawsuits put the state’s lack of science on trial, while advocating for California’s oil producers to continue supplying the world’s only climate-compliant oil, meeting the energy demands of Californians while reducing the dependency on more expensive foreign oil that drives up Californians’ already sky-high gasoline prices.
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For more information, read our fact sheet.