Projects in Long Beach connected to the Summer Olympics and Paralympics 2028 might be hampered by a California state law aimed at lowering oil production, according to a report.
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Projects in Long Beach connected to the Summer Olympics and Paralympics 2028 might be hampered by a California state law aimed at lowering oil production, according to a report. The governor of California, Gavin Christopher Newsom signed State Senate Bill 1137 into law in September which was lauded as a historic moment in attempts to reduce the production of oil, a fossil fuel that contributes to global warming. It included provisions such as a moratorium on new oil wells and a phase-out of existing ones within 3,200 feet of houses, schools, and hospitals.
However, the oil industry supported a measure that required a state referendum on the law’s repeal in March 2024. Long City, which is scheduled to host a number of sports at Los Angeles 2028, including triathlons, open water swimming, sailing, rowing, water polo, BMX racing, and handball at the Long Beach Sports Park complex of venues, depends significantly on oil for its economy. The Belmont Beach and Aquatic Center and the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, according to Long Beach City Manager Tom Modica, are among the projects that could be impacted by a drop in oil revenue.
The Belmont Beach and Aquatic Center are not scheduled to hold events in Los Angeles in 2028. However, it was part of former Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia’s “8 by 2028” plans, which targeted the city’s eighth infrastructure project to be completed in time for the Games. Sailing competitions are scheduled to take place at the Pier in Los Angeles in 2028 and an upgrade was estimated to cost about $100 million (£83 million/€94 million). However, Modica stated that the Bill might force those plans to be downsized.
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“The cost of the designed project is undoable now. We have to go back to the drawing board, reduce the number of bodies of water, shrink the footprint. We have to look at our options, “Tom Modica said in a memo referring to the Belmont Beach and Aquatic Center, according to The Orange County Register.
“We’re cutting costs now. It likely will be more of a cosmetics fix, with pier use the next step. This is a no-build Olympics, with no new facilities, so there’s no plan for investments from there, ” he added.
