California could become the latest state to enact a moratorium on the controversial method of oil and natural gas extraction known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Transportation introduced legislation AB 1301 this week to impose a temporary ban on fracking operations until state regulators can develop regulations that protect public health and the environment.
“It shocks me that we pride ourselves on being a national leader on environmental protection, yet we have allowed this activity to occur largely unregulated,” Bloom said. “California regulates massage therapists more than hydraulic fracturing.”
The controversial method of oil and natural gas extraction involves cracking apart underground rock formations by injecting high pressure fracking fluid — typically filled with dozens of carcinogenic chemicals.
If passed by the legislature, Bloom’s proposal will put the brakes on the rush to prepare drilling operations in the oil-rich western part of the state that sits above the Monterey shale reserves. The Monterey shale represents an untapped oil source with the potential to produce 15 billion barrels of crude oil. It’s the largest in the nation, outweighing North Dakota in terms of potential supply.
Oil and gas companies already have leased 17,000 acres of land in California through the federal government — and they’re aiming to get more in the 1,700 square-mile region. The area covers areas of Agoura Hills, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Hollywood, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Topanga, West Hollywood and West Los Angeles. Halliburton is one of the leading companies with permits for future drilling projects.
Bloom’s proposal amplifies another recent proposal by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), who announced several key amendments to her bill, SB-4, aimed at regulating fracking for oil and gas within California.
The discussions of a California moratorium comes on the heels of legislation passed in New York last month, extending an existing fracking moratorium until 2015. The extension was put in place to give state health and environmental experts more time to study the impacts of fracking and offer recommendations for proper regulations.
Fourteen states have enacted legislation in recent years, restricting drilling until safeguards are put into place — some, including the state of Vermont, have banned the practice altogether.
Many environmental groups maintain that there is no safe form of fracking, and the practice should be banned permanently. Some studies confirm this point, showing that fracking fluid contains dozens of carcinogenic chemicals, including Benzene. This is supported by a 2011 peer-reviewed study conducted by Cornell University, finding that “approximately 10-15 percent of fracking chemicals could affect the brain/nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems and the kidneys.” Additionally, the study finds that 25 percent of chemicals could cause “cancer and mutations.”
In response to the onslaught of negative press, major corporations like Halliburton introduced non-toxic fracking fluids earlier this year made only of food-industry ingredients. There haven’t been any conclusive independent studies to determine the health impacts of new fracking fluids.