According to National Review, the administration of Governor Gavin Newsom in California is set to go to trial on April 1 with a whistleblower who accuses them of instructing him to unlawfully deny permits for oil-well drilling. Uduak-Joe Ntuk, the former director of the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM), claimed that he was compelled to resign just nine days after filing a complaint with the state on January 4, 2023.

According to a lawsuit filed in September 2023, the administration of Governor Newsom allegedly demanded that Ntuk, the former head of CalGEM, stop issuing new oil-well drilling permits without proper authority or regulations. This demand was made despite the fact that S.B. 1137, a law signed by Newsom in September 2022, was put on hold until a referendum vote in November 2024. The law aimed to prevent new wells from being drilled within 3,200 feet of sensitive locations such as homes and schools.

Ntuk claimed that he was instructed by the governor’s office to continue implementing S.B. 1137 even after it qualified for the November 2024 ballot. He was told to use the referendum’s verification process as justification for halting the issuance of permits. However, Ntuk believed that he lacked the legal or constitutional authority to prevent the issuance of oil-well drilling permits statewide.

In January 2023, Ntuk announced his resignation to focus on his family, but it has since been revealed that he made this decision out of concern of being blacklisted if he did not comply with the instructions given to him.