Senate Republican Leader Grove's Statement on the Dismissal of the Chief of California's Oil & Gas Division

Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) issued the following statement after multiple news media outlets are reporting that Governor Newsom has dismissed California's Chief of the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) due to allegations of conflict of interest.

"Today, I am disturbed to hear that the governor has rushed to dismiss the chief of DOGGR without completing a full and fair investigation first. He is allowing trial lawyers and radical environmentalists to run roughshod over an industry that employs more than 300,000 people in this state and is integral to the Central Valley economy.

"This is a serious injustice and if it is indicative of how the governor chooses to work with the oil industry, the future of California's economy is in a very dangerous position," said Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove.