Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG)

Launched in 2013 and originally named Citizens for Responsible Oil & Gas, the group was born from concerns over a proposed drilling operation and discovering that reliable data on the project’s potential environmental impacts was not available to the public. Aiming to act as a fossil fuel watchdog to monitor oil and gas operations and pressure public officials to properly review, permit, and monitor operations in the region, members soon realized that there is no such thing as “responsible” oil and gas operations, prompting the organization to transform into Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG). Awarded tax-exempt status in 2014, CFROG is devoted to fighting the climate crisis by working to shape the needed transition from fossil fuel energy sources to a carbon-free economy on California’s Central Coast. Based in Ventura County, CFROG is dedicated to educating people about the climate crisis and helping establish a renewable energy economy that’s sustainable for everyone.

CFROG’s strategies include deploying advocacy campaigns, mentoring and leveraging young people, forming alliances to watchdog the oil and gas industry, raising awareness of how fossil fuels are impacting local communities, and engaging with public officials, government agencies, and like-minded partners to reduce and eliminate those impacts. Programs and projects include the Environmental Voices Academy, a multi-week program for Ventura County high school students that teaches environmental advocacy skills for budding activists; alliances with local organizations and labor unions on green workforce development, with a focus on career exploration and training in green infrastructure and maintenance; and advocating with partners on environmental hazards such as ensuring that abandoned wells have been safely and successfully closed so that they pose no danger to land, air, and water.

For more information:

Alternative sites revealed for controversial Ventura gas compressor – 3/10/23

Environmentalists hail another county move to tighten control over oil drilling – 3/3/22

Judge orders do-over on Ojai Valley oil well decision, finding county short-changed law – 11/28/17

This Compressor Station Leaks Methane Gas Next To An Elementary School – 10/3/22