Kern County officials and state leaders said the recent signing of Senate Bill 237 clears the way for the county's oil permitting ordinance to proceed, allowing the county to approve up to 2,000 new oil well drilling permits per year for the next decade, supporters said.

Supporters at a county-hosted press conference framed the bill as an economic boost for Kern County, which officials described as producing roughly 80% of California's oil and also hosting wind, solar and battery-storage projects.

At the press event, a county official said, "We are standing together today as you can see as 1 Kern County, providing energy of all types for California while protecting the environment. This is the start of the next decade for the Kern County economy." The speaker added that the legislation "greenlights Kern's oil permitting ordinance to move forward," enabling the stated permit level without additional delays or lawsuits.

County officials presented the measure as carrying direct economic benefits, saying it would "energize our local economy and support jobs." The press conference materials and remarks emphasized Kern County's existing role in statewide energy production and described SB 237 as securing the county's continued participation in oil production alongside renewable development.

Discussion at the event focused on the local economic impacts and the permitting cap described by officials; the transcript did not include legislative text or legal analysis of how the state law would interact with county ordinances. The press remarks did not identify a specific county ordinance by number or provide the statutory implementation timeline.

No formal local vote or motion was recorded in the transcript of the press conference; the action described is the state-level signing of Senate Bill 237 and officials' public statement that the county ordinance may proceed under the bill's terms. The transcript did not include named state lawmakers or copies of the bill language.

County residents and other stakeholders seeking the full legal text of SB 237 or the county ordinance should consult the official state legislative records and Kern County Planning and Natural Resources for details on implementation and any required local approvals.