Gov. Gavin Newsom has intensified his fight against the fossil fuel industry, signing a bill Wednesday that will shut down the vast Englewood oil field by 2030 and raise fees companies must pay to cover the costs of cleaning up 40,000 idled oil wells in the state.

Standing on a Los Angeles football field with oil wells pumping behind him, Newsom also signed a third bill giving local governments more power to limit oil and gas production within their jurisdictions.

“We are at a pivotal moment right now,” Governor Newsom told reporters. “We are taking on Big Oil and we have a good chance of winning.”

The governor signed the bill as lawmakers in Sacramento debated his proposal to require refineries to stockpile more gasoline to avoid higher gasoline prices.

Oil companies say Governor Newsom's refinery proposals would only increase gasoline prices, not save consumers money. Oil industry representatives say the bill the governor signed Wednesday will put even more strain on motorists.

“Today's press conference is a political stunt that will simply sign bills that pile on duties and increase the burden on Californians,” said Katherine Lehis Boyd, president of the Western States Petroleum Association. “These new laws will do nothing to increase domestic oil production, but instead will cost jobs and force us to import more oil from overseas.”

“Further mandates will not lower gasoline prices or help California families,” she said.

Environmental and public health groups praised Governor Newsom for signing the bill, and activists at the news conference chanted, “Stop drilling where we live.”

“The bill signed today is a victory for communities fighting for clean air and water, cleaning up dirty, unused wells and recognizing the right of local governments to regulate oil and gas drilling in their jurisdictions,” said Nicole Ghio of Friends of the Earth.

The 1,000-acre Inglewood field, which occupies most of the unincorporated area of ​​Los Angeles County known as Baldwin Hills, has 835 shut-in wells, including 655 that are currently pumping oil, according to state data. More than 400 of those wells are producing fewer than 15 barrels of oil per day.

The bill, known as AB 2716, would require low-producing wells to be plugged starting in 2026. All wells in the field would also have to be plugged by the end of 2030, effectively shutting down the field.

Well owners who don't comply with the law must pay a $10,000 fine each month, money that goes into a community fund that provides parks and other benefits for communities within 2.5 miles of an oil field.

“The Englewood oil field is the largest urban oil field in the state,” said Rep. Isaac Bryan (D-Culver City), who wrote the bill. “While production has been minimal in recent years, for decades the negative health effects surrounding the oil field have reduced the life expectancy of nearby residents.”

“Today, with Governor Newsom's signature, we are finally closing it down and establishing the state's first-ever restoration fund for the frontline communities who have been organizing for years to be seen, heard and protected,” Bryan said.

Denver-based Sentinel Peak Resources, which owns and operates the Englewood oil field, said in a statement that the bill signed by Governor Newsom “represents a dizzying array of unlawful state actions that should concern industries and businesses across California, including the targeting of individual companies in specific locations.”

The company added that it “expects to successfully defend our position in court.”

Part of the field lies within Culver City's boundaries, and late last year the company struck a deal with the city to ban oil drilling in the city's portion of the Englewood field and to cap 38 wells in that part of the field by 2030.

California has been drilling for oil and gas for more than a century, leaving more than 100,000 wells uncapped and leaking dangerous chemicals, including methane and benzene, that contribute to global warming.

The cost of properly shutting down those wells could be as much as $23 billion, he said. Recent Sierra Club analysisSome activists and state lawmakers argue that taxpayers could end up footing the bill for the caps if oil companies aren't held accountable.

About 40,000 of California's unshut wells are classified as inactive, meaning they haven't produced oil or gas for at least two years.

The bill, known as AB 1866, seeks to address the issue of idled oil wells by increasing fees paid to the state and tightening regulations to make oil companies more responsible for maintaining and plugging their wells.

“This is a landmark victory for the taxpayers and communities who suffer most from the health risks caused by oil drilling in their neighborhoods,” said Rep. Greg Hart (D-Santa Barbara), who authored the bill.

The third bill, called AB 3233, would give cities and counties more power to impose regulations on oil and gas operations, including limiting or banning new development within their jurisdictions. The bill is intended to address recent court decisions that have challenged local governments' ability to regulate drilling.

“The Governor's decision to sign this bill restores our right to act,” said Los Angeles City Council Member Paul Krekorian. “We will continue to work aggressively to protect Angelenos from the dangers of fossil fuel extraction in our densely populated areas.”