Connolly Introduces Legislation to Support Displaced Oil & Gas Workers

AB 2157 will make California's Displaced Oil & Gas Workers Fund permanent

• Isabella Jimenez
• [email protected]

SACRAMENTO, CA - Assemblymember Connolly (D-San Rafael) and Joint-Author, Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan (D- Los Angeles), joined the United Steelworkers (USW) to announce the introduction of AB 2157, which will make the Displaced Oil and Gas Workers Fund (DOGWF) pilot program permanent in the State of California. DOGWF is the only program in the state that helps workers in the oil and gas industry who are displaced by refinery closures, or want to transition into different jobs. Established as a pilot program, DOGWF is currently set to expire next year.

"As California moves away from a dependence on fossil fuels, the state must support displaced workers to ensure they have the resources and training necessary for success in a changing economy," said Assemblymember Connolly. "The DOGWF program is the only program that helps displaced oil and gas workers in transitioning into sectors that match their skills, expertise, and offer comparable wages. AB 2157 will establish this program permanently in California to ensure this support will continue to be available for workers now, and into the future."

"I worked as a process technician for the Phillips 66 refinery for over twenty years," said Laurie Wallace, USW 675 member. "Having a good, union job was life changing, allowing me to buy a home, start a family and secure my retirement. Last year, when I received a layoff notice along with six hundred of my coworkers, the DOGWF program was a lifeline, allowing me to finish my AA and prepare my transition into a new field. We must pass AB 2156 and make the DOGWF program permanent to ensure displaced oil and gas workers can access good, family-supporting jobs."

"In California, we can and must do right by workers while we combat the climate emergency," said Assemblymember Bryan. "Our green future is being built by union labor, and the DOGWF program is a critical commitment to workers across our state."

As California and the global economy shifts away from oil and gas production - both extraction and refining - operational closures have displaced thousands of workers throughout the state. In 2020 and 2021, the Marathon refinery closure in Martinez and the Phillips 66 refinery closure in Santa Maria displaced over 600 full-time workers and between 250 and 2,500 contract workers. In October of 2024, the Phillips 66 Refinery in Carson announced its plan to close by the 4th quarter of 2025, with approximately 900 employees and contractors estimated to lose their jobs. Additionally, Valero refineries in both Benicia and Wilmington have announced their closures in 2026.

In 2022, Senate Bill (SB) 191established the DOGWF pilot program under the administration of Employment Development Department (EDD). The program received $36.5m in general fund dollars to provide grants to help address the needs of displaced workers in the oil and gas sector by supporting them as they seek to transition to other sectors of the economy. Under SB 191, DOGWF sunsets on March 31, 2027.

AB 2157 eliminates the sunset for the DOGWF program, establishing its permanence in California statute, thus ensuring support for displaced oil and gas workers will endure. The bill will also require the EDD, in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, to develop a recommended design for turning the program from a pilot into a permanent program.

###

Assemblymember Connolly represents the entirety of Marin County and Southern Sonoma County