California Releases Fracking Regulations Six Months Before Studies Are Complete

[Judi Lynn]

California Releases Fracking Regulations Six Months Before Studies Are Complete
Tuesday, 06 January 2015 09:58
By Dan Bacher, IndyBay | Report

Governor Jerry Brown continued to live up to his reputation as "Big Oil Brown" with his administration's release of the finalized text of the state's regulations for fracking and well stimulation on Tuesday, December 30.

Although Senate Bill 4, passed in September 2013, requires California's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) to complete an environmental impact report and approve an independent scientific study, "neither one of those documents were ready in time to inform the final rules," according to a news release from CAFrack Facts.

“California has essentially reversed the regulatory process when it comes to fracking,” said Jackie Pomeroy, spokesperson for CAFrackFacts. “State regulators have finalized California's fracking rules a full six months before any of the mandated scientific studies have been completed. Given the long-term and potentially irreversible impacts of fracking and well stimulation, it is critical that we make policy decisions based on science—unfortunately, the current timeline makes this impossible.”

Pomeroy noted that in contrast to California, New York recently decided to continue its moratorium on fracking after concluding that the practice poses unknown risks to human health and safety.

More:
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/28384-california-releases-fracking-regulations-six-months-before-studies-are-complete

[NYC_SKP]

1. "Big Oil Brown"? Really, I hate Truth-Out when they pull this shit.

They take the most environmentally responsible governor this state has had in a century and hang that name on him.

Fuck that shit.

And, by the way, nobody knows it but about 90% of our natural gas wells used fracking. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fracking

And natural gas provides the US with over 28% of it's total energy needs and over 30% of our electrical generation.

Brown just got done pushing our renewables goal further than it already was, to a goal higher than any other state, 50% by 2030.

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/calif.-gov.-jerry-brown-calls-for-50-renewables-by-2030

Nationwide, we're below 10% now.

Truth Out is often bullshit, and this is one of those times.

[Jim Spriggs]

2. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Truth Out is often bullshit, and this is one of those times.

I don't frequent Truth-Out, but what about the sources cited by Truth-Out? One of the sources is Dan Bacher of Indybay:
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/01/02/18766275.php
What about all the sources Dan Bacher cites in his article?

The other source cited is Jackie Pomeroy of CAFrackFacts:
http://www.cafrackfacts.org/resources/about-us/

It just seems like you're shooting the messenger in this case.

They take the most environmentally responsible governor this state has had in a century and hang that name on him.

Yeah, but there's a frack in the ointment. We don't march in lockstep at your behest or anybody else's. We can call a spade a spade and call politicians out when they do wrong. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. It's not "Governor Brown Uber Alles," EVER, and I'm pretty sure he would agree with that.

Jerry Brown is a great governor, no question, but when he does things that we don't think benefits California or its people, what are we going to do, say "Oh he does so many things we want we'll just let this one go?" THAT'S bullshit.

And, by the way, nobody knows it but about 90% of our natural gas wells used fracking.

Really? I think a lot of people know about how prevalent natural gas fracking is and how its use has skyrocketed over the past ten years. Re: "Gasland," nominated for an Academy award in 2011:

In 2008, when Josh Fox first began to investigate fracking, there was scant scientific evidence or research on the subject. As of 2015, over 400 peer-reviewed scientific papers on fracking related subjects have been published, the overwhelming majority of which confirm the facts of Fox's reporting on water contamination, air pollution, health effects, earthquakes and other fracking related ills. A full database of these peer-reviewed papers can be found here:
https://www.zotero.org/groups/pse_study_citation_database/items
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasland

I agree with you, Jerry Brown's sustainable energy record is head and shoulders above those of all but a couple of other states, but we're not going to feel guilty about criticizing him when we think he deserves it.

[NYC_SKP]

3. "Moonbeam" and "Big Oil Brown" indicate poorly sourced and biased reportage.

Let me first say that I think the error has been addressed:

http://www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/Pages/Index.aspx

http://www.californiaenvironmentallawblog.com/

http://www.californiaenvironmentallawblog.com/oil-and-gas/proposed-assembly-bill-356-would-require-additional-groundwater-monitoring-by-oil-gas-operators/

And I think you'll agree that a handle like, "Big Oil Brown" is not deserved unless a public figure demonstrated a clear pattern of pro-fossil fuel actions, and this is simply not the case with Governor Brown.

Why Gov. Brown's Goal of Cutting Oil Use in Half Can be Done

Natural Resources Defense Council

Posted January 6, 2015

Governor Jerry Brown was inaugurated for a fourth term on Monday, making climate change and carbon pollution a core part of his agenda, and calling for California "to build for the future, not steal from it." A major component of his effort will be to cut petroleum use from cars and trucks by 50 percent within fifteen years. As I explain below, not only is target achievable, but will save California's billions of dollars in fuel bills as well.

Unlike other bold pronouncements you've surely heard by past politicians, there are some strong reasons why we should believe the Governor can actually achieve these goals (beyond the Governor's sheer staying power and reputation of just wanting to, in his own words, "get sh*t done.&quot Here's why:

California is already on track to meet half the target: As the Governor states, the state already has "the most integrated policy to deal with climate change of any political jurisdiction in the Western Hemisphere." Thanks to the policies under the state's clean energy and climate law, AB32, California now leads the nation in spurring more efficient cars, in efforts to develop more walkable communities and transit options, and in introducing cleaner fuels. NRDC's estimates are that with full implementation of existing and currently proposed measures, California could be on track to reduce its petroleum consumption by 25% by 2030 as compared to last year, or halfway to Governor Brown's target.

California is poised to take the next steps: Achieving the target does not require any breakthroughs in technology or even new programs. California simply needs to do more of what it has already been doing. By building upon the existing framework and establishing new targets beyond 2020, the state can indeed halve petroleum use while lowering carbon pollution and cleaning the air. My past analysis and analysis by California Air Resources Board show that continued improvement in vehicle efficiency and deployment of electric-drive cars, trucks and buses; more sustainable development and access to transit; and continued strengthening of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard are key components.

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/smui/why_gov_browns_goal_of_cutting.html

So, the namecalling is just vile and undeserved.