Fracking

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The San Benito County Board of Supervisors asked its County Counsel to draft a moratorium on fracking for its October 15 meeting and asked staff to develop a timeline for revising its oil ordinance to address fracking. The County Board acted in response to a petition with 500 signatures collected by a local group, Aromas Cares For Our Environment, based on speculation that seismic equipment in the area was for oil or natural gas exploration.
Continue Reading San Benito County Moves Toward Fracking Moratorium in Advance of DOGGR Regulations

On August 29, the Center for Biological Diversity served the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with notice of intent to sue for BLM’s failure to reinitiate consultation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) relating to oil and gas leases and drilling permits issued in California. The notice alleges that BLM has continued to authorize fracking activities in California based on outdated biological opinions that fail to evaluate the impact of new fracking techniques on listed species. If BLM does not reinitiate ESA consultation and “halt ongoing oil and gas leasing and drilling activities” with 60 days of the notice, the Center indicates it will file a citizen suit under the ESA.
Continue Reading Environmental Group Serves Notice of Intent to Sue BLM re Fracking in California

Describing the proposed BLM rule for fracking as “a good first step,” a group of 38 Democrats in the House of Representatives called for disclosure of fracking chemicals before drilling.  The proposed regulations require disclosure of fracking chemicals only after the operation is complete.  In a letter to the Department of the Interior, the lawmakers…

Several members of the Western States Petroleum Association have agreed to share information about their fracking operations in response to the California Department of Conservation’s request for operators to report to a disclosure registry, FracFrocus (see May 8, 2012 post).  Many, including Occidental Petroleum Corp. and XTO Energy/ExxonMobil, have already posted to the website…

At the end of last week, EPA and BLM each released draft requirements relating to fracking.  EPA released draft Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class II well permitting guidance for fracking activities that use diesel fuels.  BLM released draft rules requiring public disclosure of fracking chemicals used on public and Indian lands.

The EPA guidance applies…

Last week, the California Senate’s National Resources Committee advanced a bill requiring notice to nearby property owners of planned fracking operations, and President Obama issued an Executive Order setting up an interagency working group to support safe and responsible fracking.

California law requires the operator to file a written notice of intent to commence drilling…

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