SACRAMENTO, CA -- The
California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal
Resources (DOGGR) has released long-awaited proposed regulations for the
controversial technique for drilling for oil and gas called hydraulic
fracturing, or fracking.
The
draft regulations released November 15 are required by law through Senate Bill (SB) 4, which was signed in
September by Gov. Jerry Brown. Hearings are being scheduled statewide.
Fracking
is the process of drilling approximately two miles into the ground, below
ground water levels, and using water, sand and chemicals to remove the oil from
shale rock. The process is not new and
has been used for decades in the Bakersfield area. What is new is that fracking will be
occurring in the Central Valley, covering the land between Modesto and
Bakersfield.
The
positive impact of fracking would be seen in small and large communities in the
Central Valley, which have been hit hardest by the national economic
downturn. But, there is fear that
fracking could also cause water contamination or earthquakes, concerns the
environmental community has been using to delay the implementation of fracking
until more studies could be conducted.
"We
believe that once these proposed regulations go into effect at the start of
2015, we will have in place the strongest environmental and public health
protections of any oil-and-gas-producing state in the nation while also
ensuring that a key element of California's economy can maintain its
productivity," said Mark Nechodom, Director of the California Department
of Conservation.
Although
oil companies initially opposed the new law because they felt it was too
stringent, they like the new regulations.
"These
regulations are extensive but strike the right balance," said Catherine
Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association.
Key
components of the regulations include:
Oil companies will need state permits to drill a fracking well; all
neighbors will need to be notified at least 30 days in advance of the intent to
drill a fracking well; it requires that oil companies reveal the chemicals
being used in fracking or acidization (another method of extracting the oil
from shale rock); and, the oil companies, working with the Water Quality
Control Boards, would need to monitor all nearby groundwater supplies for
possible contamination.
For
addition information and scheduled hearings on these regulations, CLICK HERE.
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