Bills for fracking moratorium advance

California Democrats are making a strong push toward a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing that would allow for more comprehensive study of the oil-extraction method’s potential effects on the environment.

Three bills advanced by a California State Assembly committee—Senate Bill 4 by Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), Assembly Bill 1323 by Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), and Assembly Bill 1301 by Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica)—propose to halt the practice entirely for the foreseeable future, according to The Sacramento Bee. Opponents of the bill, including the Western States Petroleum Association, maintain there is no evidence to suggest fracking is unsafe.

“We must identify the risks and assure the public that we are doing everything in our control to protect them,” Bloom said, “but to date, the state has failed to do that.”