A California state senator is hoping to illustrate the benefits of in-state oil drilling through new legislation that has received unanimous support from Republicans and Democrats as the state battles over a law banning the practice in some areas.

Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove's bill would require the state to report carbon emissions from oil imported from foreign countries. It also would direct the Energy Commission to monitor whether oil comes from countries with fewer environmental regulations than the United States and a record of human rights abuses.

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The bill passed through the state Senate and the Assembly Natural Resources Committee without any Democrats opposing — something causing environmentalists concern that the bill's intentions may be more about making a point rather than looking for emissions reports.

California's Senate Bill 1137 prohibits drilling within more than a half-mile of public places, such as homes and schools. Oil industry groups, which are opposed to the law, are pushing people to vote "no" on the California Oil and Gas Well Regulations Referendum, which will appear on the November 2024 ballot. SB 1137 is on hold until the referendum is voted on.

Environmental groups believe Grove's measure is a ploy to get Democratic lawmakers to promote the campaign from the oil industry to overturn the state ban.

“It’s a way for Shannon Grove to convince the Democratic supermajority to advance oil talking points,” Dan Ress, staff attorney at the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment, told Politico.

Ress's group, as well as the Center for Biological Diversity and Communities for a Better Environment, wrote a letter to the Assembly Appropriations Committee asking the members to dismiss Grove's measure.

Grove contested the claim that she's working an angle to promote the oil industry's talking points, saying, "I’ve been working on this for years.”

Despite Democrats allowing the bill to pass this far, the Republican state senator said she expects her measure will die this week.

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However, the bill has taken off as a selling point for oil industry groups advertising against the referendum. The California Independent Petroleum Association is leading the "Stop the Energy Shutdown" campaign, which qualified the veto referendum for the ballot and is supporting a "no" vote. The committee has reported over $20 million in contributions since March 31.

Californians for Energy Independence, another "no" group, has bolstered the legislation by putting out 180 ads on Facebook and Instagram, emphasizing the state is "an energy island dependent on foreign oil.” The group has received more than $3.6 million from Chevron, the U.S.'s second-largest oil company, this year, according to Politico.