California: The Next Frack Frontier?

By Andrew Grinberg, California Program Associate As the fracking fight comes to California, our state government is finally getting on the bandwagon and will begin to regulate the dangerous oil and gas extraction process. The Department of Conservation (DOC) issued the first draft of proposed regulations on hydraulic fracturing. California has become the next battleground for the frack fight. The Golden State is already the fourth largest producer of oil in the US and industry had told us that they have been fracking here for years. There is something brand new though: high volume fracking with horizontal drilling, much higher water and chemical use and greater risks. This new kind of fracking, and other enhanced oil recovery techniques are what industry is touting as the key to exploiting the Monterey Shale, which stretches from Northern California, all the way down to the Los Angeles area. High volume fracking has been linked to air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, induced seismicity, massive amounts of water use, creation of toxic wastewater, which is difficult to dispose of, and dangerous worker conditions across the country. Californians can’t afford more air and water pollution or more earthquakes. The Central Valley, where the most fracking is happening, suffers from some of the worst air quality in the country with asthma rates three times the national average, and serious groundwater pollution.  California also is the most earthquake prone state in the country. Clean Water Action has called for a moratorium on fracking in California because there has been little independent scientific review of the potential impacts of fracking in California. However, the Brown Administration has remained steadfast in its support to move forward with increased levels of fracking and other dangerous oil extraction techniques. California needs to put a halt to fracking while regulations are being developed as this process could take months or even years. Meanwhile, fracking would be allowed with no safeguards in place (as has been the case for decades). Unfortunately, the proposed regulations are woefully inadequate and need significant strengthening. Until the state can demonstrate that they are up to the challenge of protecting the health of our citizens and preventing harm to air and water quality, we call for a stop to all fracking and similar dangerous oil and gas extraction operations in California. Clean Water has identified major areas of concern, which must be addressed before any regulations are finalized:

• More public input
• Better protections for water
• Better protections for air and climate
• Reporting well-casing failures
• Better public disclosure and advance notification to landowners
• Removal of trade secret exemptions
• Address other dangerous extraction techniques

For more in depth analysis, read our response to the regulations. DOC and DOGGR should do the right thing and make sure that fracking does not occur until the industry is proven to be safe and all the necessary safeguards are in place. Clean Water Action will continue to fight for a moratorium on fracking in California, through engaging our allies, state agencies, legislators and most importantly the public. Tell Governor Brown to put a stop to fracking in California! For info on our work on fracking in California, check out this page.To read Clean Water Action and allies' letter to the DOC calling for a moratorium, click here.