Fracking permits denied by state
Health, climate cited in step to ending practice
California state regulators have denied a string of applications to drill for oil using the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, a move Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office described Friday as the beginning of the end for fracking in the state.
The 21 fracking applications, which sought new operations in the oilrich fields of Kern County, were turned down Thursday because of what the California Department of Conservation cited as a need to protect public health and address climate change.
Supporters of the move called it the first time the state has significantly limited fracking for health and climate purposes. Many have been pushing for such action for years.
Fracking is the process of using highpressure water and often chemicals to unleash fossil fuel deposits deep within the earth. The practice has the potential to taint groundwater and mucks up the natural geology, though boosters say it’s an efficient way to get needed oil and natural gas out of existing wells. Fracking, of
“In the face of the effects of the climate emergency, the risks to everyday Californians are too high to approve these permits.”
UduakJoe Ntuk, state oil and gas supervisor at CalGEM
course, also means more fossil fuel development and more climatewarming pollution.
In the face of these concerns, Newsom, who faces a recall election Sept. 14, directed the state Department of Conservation’s oil regulator, known as CalGEM, in April to develop a plan to phase out new fracking by 2024. The governor’s office said the 21 applications denied this week represent a step in that effort.
While environmental groups applauded the recent action, they said Newsom should be doing a lot more if he seriously wants to improve public health and tackle climate change.
“We’re finally getting recognition that oil and gas is harmful to our health and our water and our climate, and that is a huge relief, but it doesn’t go far enough,” said Alexandra Nagy, the California director for the watchdog group Food and Water Watch. “We’re still ramping up oil and gas permitting in California.”
This year alone, a dozen new fracking permits and 100 new oil welldrilling permits have been approved by CalGEM, state records show.
Newsom’s directive in April called for not only halting new fracking permits, which he pledged to do when he ran for office in 2018, but phasing out all oil extraction by 2045. Again, environmentalists appreciated the announcement, but said the timeline was too long and undermined any real commitment by the governor.
The 21 fracking applications that were denied this week were submitted by Aera Energy, a joint venture of of fossil fuel giants Shell and ExxonMobil based in Bakersfield. The company, one of the biggest recipients of fracking permits in California, sought development in two Kern County oil fields, North Belridge and South Belridge.
The state oil and gas supervisor at CalGEM said in an email to The Chronicle that the applications were denied because the agency is now legally required to consider the impact of fracking on public health and heattrapping gas emissions.
“In the face of the effects of the climate emergency, the risks to everyday Californians are too high to approve these permits,” UduakJoe Ntuk said.
Aera Energy on Friday criticized the state’s action and said it was evaluating legal options to challenge it.
“This is the latest decision attacking the oil and gas industry that is based solely on politics rather than sound data or science,” spokeswoman Cindy Pollard said in an email to The Chronicle. “Scientific studies commissioned by the state conducted by some of the brightest minds in the world have deemed that hydraulic fracturing is safe.”
A post on the company’s website last month by Aera Energy President and CEO Erik Bartsch took issue with Newsom’s broader crackdown on oil.
“While I agree that climate change needs action, the administration’s intent to eliminate oil production in the state doesn’t confront the issue,” Bartsch said. “Why? Banning oil production in California does not end our state’s underlying need for fuel. Curbing California production only adds instability and cost.”
Newsom’s office on Friday praised the state’s response to climate change.
“This (denial) is one of many actions the administration is taking to reduce and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and respond to the climate emergency,” spokesperson for the governor’s office Erin Mellon said in a statement Friday. “The governor has been clear that we need to do more to combat the climate crisis and create a healthier future. He has also been clear that he does not see a role for fracking in that future.”