LATEST NEWS: SB 1132 Fails in the Senate
On Thursday, May 29, 2014 the California Senate failed to pass SB 1132 (Mitchell/Leno) which would have put a temporary moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, acidizing and other forms of oil and gas well stimulation methods. The measure lost by a narrow margin, despite recent polling that 68% of Californians support a time out on fracking. Additionally, the federal government has recently downgraded the estimated amount of recoverable oil in the Monterey Shale by 96%, dispelling the myth that fracking will lead to an oil boom in California.
The people with the most to lose after the failure of SB 1132 are the communities of Kern County, where an estimated 80% of fracking and other oil drilling occurs in California. At least 22 different communities lie within 5 miles of oil and gas drilling in Kern County, including many directly adjacent to and surrounded by drilling operations, exposing thousands of residents to health threatening air pollution that has been linked to low birth weights, respiratory illness and cancer.
Although the Legislature failed to pass a moratorium, Governor Brown still has the authority to implement and immediate moratorium, an act that would be in line with the Democratic Party platform and the wishes of more than two thirds of Californians.
Clean Water Action is working to protect California from the dangers of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), acidizing and other risky oil drilling. Across the country, communities are suffering from health and environmental impacts related to oil and gas production, including: contaminated drinking water and polluted air, degradation of local waterways, and decreased property values. In most states, fracking operations are designed to extract natural gas reserves. In California, it’s all about oil.
