Exciting news: The federal government announced today it will do a major analysis of fracking risks on California’s public lands. This comes in response to a lawsuit from us and our allies, as well as an outpouring of opposition from Center for Biological Diversity activists and supporters, to the federal auction of about 2,500 acres in Monterey County to oil companies.
These studies will be the first government assessment of the severe risks fracking poses to the Golden State. The announcement comes after an April federal court ruling that said the Bureau of Land Management had put our environment at risk by failing to consider fracking risks or prepare an impact statement before auctioning off the land.
The new BLM plan not only calls for a new environmental impact study on fracking in central California – it also orders an independent scientific assessment of the dangerous oil extraction process statewide. These reviews are likely to take more than a year – and it’s unlikely that further oil leasing and development can occur in the areas covered by the impact statement until it’s completed.
Today’s victory is a milestone in the battle against fracking – thank you for all your work to make it possible. The government should be protecting our precious public lands, not leasing them out for dangerous and dirty fossil fuels.