The Filing of the Long Beach Environmental Protection General Purpose Oil Production Tax Increase Measure

LONG BEACH, Calif., Dec. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- This week, Elliot Lewis, a local Long Beach entrepreneur and resident filed the Long Beach Environmental Protection General Purpose Oil Production Tax Increase Measure. This measure was written to increase environmental protections in Long Beach by mitigating the damages the oil industry wreaks on the Southern California Coast, and to ensure that oil companies are paying their fair share of taxes. Enough is enough. Instead of passing the buck onto other industries to pick up their slack, oil companies should pay more taxes.

On a boat trip along the Southern California Coast, Lewis personally witnessed the devastating effects of the oil spill that occurred in October 2021. The stench from the spilled oil nearly made him and his team pass out, as they were picking up chunks of oil that had begun to mix with the ocean plant life. This manmade disaster spilled over 3,000 barrels worth of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean, devastating the environmental ecosystem. It takes millions of taxpayer dollars to clean up the aftermath of these spills. The cost of these operations are falling on the cities and the taxpayers which is why this measure will ensure the oil companies cover the costs of these disasters.

To illustrate, the overall purpose of The Long Beach Environmental Protection General Purpose Oil Production Tax Increase Measure is to increase the City's General Purpose Barrel Tax from a maximum of $0.30 per barrel to $3.30 per barrel for funding such things as community healthcare services, air and water quality and climate change programs, increased childhood education and youth programs, expanded job training opportunities, and other Long Beach general fund programs. For this measure to pass 10% of the registered voters which is around 27,000 signatures would be needed to bring this to a vote by April 15, 2022.

Furthermore, the oil companies pay considerably less in taxes in comparison to other industries. By greasing the political wheel, the oil companies have been able to evade certain financial responsibilities. The Long Beach Environmental Protection General Purpose Oil Production Tax Increase Measure gives voters the ability to voice their concerns. This measure will force oil companies to contribute more tax dollars to the community they operate in and to the residents who are most directly affected by the negative impacts of the oil industry. If oil companies were paying the same rate of taxes as other industries with higher rates, the City could mitigate these issues and have more resources to do good in the City. As it stands, oil companies pay pennies compared to others and this measure sets to rectify that.

The Long Beach Environmental Protection General Purpose Oil Production Tax Increase Measure is a voter ballot measure being proposed by Lewis who is a Long Beach native and where he is currently raising his family. Oil companies need to pay their fair share of taxes and provide for, rather than take, from this community.

Media Contact

Elliot Lewis, Catalyst Cannabis Co., 1 (562) 430-6700, [email protected]

SOURCE Catalyst Cannabis Co.