California: Still Not Protecting Us from Fracking

By Andrew Grinberg, Oil and Gas Program Coordinator January 14 marked the end of California's 60 day public comment period on proposed fracking regulations. Over the last two months Clean Water Action members and supporters have spoken, submitting thousands of comments calling for a halt to fracking in California. Residents across the state have turned out in record numbers to voice their concerns, packing public hearing rooms from Oakland to Santa Maria to Bakersfield to Sacramento to Long Beach. Clearly, the public has something to say about fracking, and clearly Californians don't want it in our state. Here, in the Clean Water offices in Oakland, we have been combing through the proposed regulations, which can be viewed here. Here's what we've found:  The proposed rules demonstrate that the state is not ready to actually protect Californians' health, environment and public safety from fracking. In fact, we question whether the state is even capable of this, given the track record of our oil and gas regulators. The proposed regulations fail (and do not even attempt), to adequately address many issues, such as the impacts of increased drilling on climate, health-threatening air emissions, wastewater disposal issues, and the injection of massive amounts of toxic chemicals. The proposed regulations fail to require full environmental review of every frack job or site, and lack the scientific basis needed for adequate protections. Although Clean Water Action has taken a lead role in critiquing the proposed regulations, our position on fracking in California remains that the only way to protect our environment is with a moratorium. State regulators have a clear mandate under the law to "prevent, as far as possible, damage to life, health, property, and natural resources," (Public Resources Code 3106) and these regulations do no such thing. Until the state and the oil industry can address key concerns regarding the potential threats posed by failed well casings, injection of toxic chemicals through underground aquifers, emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases, induced earthquakes, generation of toxic wastewater, increased risk of oil spills, and many other threats posed by fracking, state regulators and the Governor must halt fracking, acidizing and other well stimulation activities.  Environmental, health, community and social justice groups are united in calling on Governor Brown to let science do its job and implement an immediate moratorium on all well stimulation in California while the state takes a hard look at the risks. Want to see what we told state regulators and the Governor about these regulations? Technical comments to the Division of Oil Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) analyzing the regulations and calling for a moratorium A letter to the Governor with over 50 groups calling for a moratorium