State of California, USA 7/08/2013 California legislators demand federal probe of secret offshore fracking It is unthinkable that oil and gas companies could engage in offshore oil extraction by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, without consulting with the state of California. A group of legislators apparently got the news from Associated Press report on companies using fracking at the California coastal seabed. The legislators have asked the federal government to investigate the matter. According to an Aug. 7 LA Times article, Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) and seven more state lawmakers sent a letter to the the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. The target is the vast oil fields in the Santa Barbara Channel. The resistance is based in the catastrophic Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969 and the fractious nature of a land that is riddled with earthquake faults, even under the sea. The problem is the federal government, which has been making deals with oil companies without informing the State of California or allowing regulation and oversight. California coastal regulators were deliberately kept out of the loop until recently. They were unaware that any offshore fracking was going on. According to an Aug. 5 Business Insider article, the federal government has even exempted offshore fracking chemicals from U.S. clean water laws. This is being done without scientists having any clues about the effects of fracking chemicals on the seawater, surrounding riparian and coastal interface zones. Assemblyman Williams said, “Hydraulic fracturing poses great potential dangers to our sea life and all California residents. This controversial well-stimulation technique needs greater scrutiny, particularly when it potentially jeopardizes our coastal way of life.” The U.S. government and the oil companies did not say anything, so Associated Press and advocacy groups resorted to the Freedom of Information Act to get information. The results exposed how federal regulators allowed at least twelve fracking operations in the Pacific Ocean since the late 1990s. The government/oil industry duo also got approval for a new project. Democratic State Senators Fran Pavley, Noreen Evans and Hannah-Beth Jackson signed the letter. Democratic Assembly members Mark Stone, Marc Levine, Richard Bloom, Adrin Nazarian and Bob Wieckowski also signed. Californians have a long memory when it comes to the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969. That spill caused massive deaths and historical environmental damage. But Californians also have common sense that, even if offshore fracking goes on dozens of miles off the coast, the water will make its way to the shore. However, the federal government secretly colluding with oil and gas companies without informing the state of California or any other coastal state is an even more disturbing issue.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 02:52:01 +0000
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