Fracking reaction

There’s an effort underway to qualify an ordinance that would place a moratorium in Butte County on hydraulic fracturing and “other unconventional [methods of] oil and gas recovery, and on disposal of toxic wastes from these operations.”

According to a press release from Citizens’ Action Network, notice was filed with the county elections office Nov. 27 to begin collecting signatures to place the ordinance on next year’s general-election ballot.

Signature gatherers need to obtain signatures amounting to 10 percent of the votes cast in Butte County during the last gubernatorial election—about 7,500—to get the ordinance onto the ballot. They have 30 days after getting the go-ahead from the elections office to gather the signatures.

If passed, the moratorium would stay in effect until “sufficient regulations are in place to protect Butte County’s fresh water, air and soil, agriculture and other key industries, and the health and welfare of Butte County’s communities,” says the press release.