Why California’s oil regulator is under fire from environmentalists

California’s oil and gas regulator issued permits for new oil wells just before and right after a controversial state law took effect in late June – igniting a dispute between the agency and environmentalists. POLITICO’s Wes Venteicher breaks down the political and legal fallout over the regulator’s last-minute permitting. Plus, President Joe Biden isn’t planning to release many major energy and environmental regulations before the November election. For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Wes Venteicher covers climate and energy energy news in California for POLITICO. Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is a POLITICO audio host-producer. Annie Rees is the managing producer for audio at POLITICO. Gloria Gonzalez is the deputy energy editor for POLITICO. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO.