Oil, Gas, and Fracking in California

Protecting California's water, health and environment from dangerous oil and gas production activities, including fracking, acidizing, and toxic wastewater disposal.

Kern River Oil Field

Underground Injection: Oil and Gas Wastewater Disposal and Enhanced Recovery

The majority of oil and gas wastewater in California is injected underground putting our aquifers at risk.

Still In the Pits
Oil and Gas

Still in the Pits: Oil and Gas Wastewater Disposal in California

The disposal of oil and gas wastewater into open and unlined pits puts drinking water at risk, pollutes the air and harms health. California regulators have allowed hundreds of unregulated pits to operate with little oversight. It's time to get California out of the pits and end this disposal method.

PDF icon Still In the Pits - March 2016.pdf
Cover - Californians at Risk
Environmental Justice, Oil and Gas

Californians At Risk: An Analysis of Health Threats from Oil and Gas Pollution in Two Communities

To  understand the impacts of oil and gas development on California communities Clean Water Action and our allies at Earthworks studied health and air contaminants in two communities in the heart of oil country - Lost Hills in Kern County, and Upper Ojai in Ventura County.

PDF icon CaliforniansAtRiskFINAL.pdf
Oil and gas waste pits - CA

Oil and Gas Wastewater in California

California oil companies produce more than 130 billion gallons of wastewater every year, threatening the state's water quality and environmental health. 

From We All Live Downstream

Bakersfield.jpeg
Keep California Safe: Oil Companies Are Risking Our Health With This Referendum
California
November 22, 2022

These past few weeks you may have come across a petition that intends to repeal a new state bill, SB 1137. These petitioners have claimed that it will ruin the economy by hiking up gas prices, costing Californians jobs, and other fear mongering rhetoric. The truth is that oil and gas companies are trying to repeal a law that would ensure the safety and health of Californians before it can go into effect.

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Kern River Oil Field
California moves to protect communities from oil and gas pollution
California
October 22, 2021

Yesterday, Governor Newsom and CalGEM (California Geologic Energy Management), the state agency that regulates oil and gas production, announced a draft rule to create a 3200-foot setback from new oil and gas wells to protect frontline communities. This setback would place a health and safety buffer zone between new oil and gas wells and homes, schools, hospitals, as well as other sensitive receptors .

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Water tank in Kern County. Credit: Andrew Grinberg / Clean Water Action
Protecting Californians from Oil and Gas Production
California
February 3, 2020

More than 5 million Californians live near oil and gas production. In Kern County, oil production is wedged between homes and looms over schools and playground. Our communities are under a haze of contaminants due to the gargantuan fields of oil and gas wells bordering towns and scattered along our roads.

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