Fracking involves injecting high-pressure water deep underground to extract oil or gas from rock. In April, Newsom directed the state’s Geologic Energy Management Division, or CalGEM, to develop a plan to stop issuing new fracking permits by 2024 after a measure to ban fracking died in the Legislature. Those decisions would make California the largest state to ban fracking and probably the first in the world to set a deadline for ending oil production. CalGEM has approved 100 new well-drilling permits and a dozen new fracking permits this year, according to state records cited by the Chronicle. AdvertisementNewsom should “instruct his agency to deny all new oil and gas permits immediately,” said a statement from Alexandra Nagy, California director for the nonprofit group Food and Water Watch.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 10, 2021 03:33 UTC