Nalleli Cobo was recognized with the Goldman Environmental Prize for her work against the oil fields in Los Angeles that left her and her community seriously ill.

The 21-year-old was recognized on May 25 for environmental justice work that has spanned more than half her life. The prestigious award is given annually to individuals from six regions: Europe, Asia, Africa, Islands and Island Nations, North America, South America, and Central America.

Nalleli Cobo led a coalition to permanently shut down a toxic oil-drilling site in her community in March 2020, at the age of 19 — an oil site that caused serious health issues for her and others. Her continued organizing against urban oil extraction has now yielded major policy movement within both the Los Angeles City Council and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which voted unanimously to ban new oil exploration and phase out of existing sites.

Cobo began his activism at the age of 9 after noticing foul smells emanating from the oil well across the street from her home. Over the years, she endured headaches, nosebleeds, and heart palpitations caused by pollution from the well. She began attending meetings and rallies with her mother and, at the age of 9, gave her first public speech on the issue.

“Together with her mother, Nalleli began walking door-to-door in 2011, distributing fliers about the dangers of oil extraction and documenting the rampant illnesses in the community caused by oil pollution. She mobilized her neighbors to report the foul chemical smells to officials and share their own stories at town halls and city council meetings. Her organizing resulted in the formation of People not Pozos, for which she became the spokesperson — despite being the group’s youngest member. As the community’s voice against oil pollution, she began speaking publicly at community events and rallies, testified at government meetings, and garnered press coverage and support from elected officials”.

“Soon, Nalleli filed complaints with the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Physicians for Social Responsibility-LA, a partner organization, hired a toxicologist, who quickly confirmed that the air near the oil site was polluted. In response to the flood of negative attention, in 2013 AllenCo voluntarily suspended operations at the site, a move that was made permanent in 2020. Meanwhile, in 2015, after co-founding the South-Central Youth Leadership Coalition, Nalleli looked to expand her efforts and work toward phasing out oil sites across the city. The group sued the city of Los Angeles for environmental racism—specifically for disproportionately permitting oil drilling in Latino and Black communities. The successful lawsuit has helped pave the way for major city and county-wide policy changes on oil extraction”, according to the Goldman Prize.

That year, the youth group sued the city of Los Angeles, alleging violations of the California Environmental Quality Act and environmental racism. The suit was settled after the city implemented new drilling application requirements.

“During the 1920s, Los Angeles was one of the world's largest urban oil-exporting regions. More than 20,000 active, idle, or abandoned oil wells still reside in the county, and about one-third of residents live less than a mile from an active oil site. Studies have shown that living near oil and gas wells increases exposure to air pollution, with nearby communities facing environmental and health risks including preterm birth, asthma and heart disease”, according to NBC News.