California is often hail as a loss leader of U.S. climate natural action due to its fuel efficiency criterion , renewable energy end , and other environmental regulations . It ’s even made big , splashy announcements likeending new gas - power car sales by 2035 .
But it also has a bad habit of continue to enlarge fossil fuel descent . On Tuesday , datum from theCalifornia Energy Management Divisionshows that the stateapproved11 new fracking permits . The permits will allow the business firm that apply for them to frack the wells a combined 59 times .
If this seems hypocritical , it is , but it ’s also not surprising . California Gov. Gavin Newsom hasrepeatedlysaidhe support the get by decline of fogy fuel production in the land , yet under his leadership , the state has approvedmore than 8,000new oil and throttle permits .
Pump jacks and wells are seen in an oil field on the Monterey Shale formation where gas and oil extraction uses fracking.Photo: David McNew (Getty Images)
“ California can never be a clime leader as long as Newsom uphold to advertise more fracking and drilling , ” Kassie Siegel , director of the Climate Law Institute at the Center for Biological Diversity , said . “ Climate leaders do n’t frack , climate leaders do n’t drill . ”
California has made noise that sound like it project to stop descent . Last yr , Newsom said he back phasing out fracking by 2024 , and in November 2019 , he even range amoratoriumon issuing fracking permits . But since lifting that policy last April , the state of matter has given out94 more of them .
The bulk of those young permits , let in the 11 granted this week , have pop off to Aera Energy , a joint speculation between the DOE monster Shell Oil and ExxonMobil . That ’s a particularly bad spirit for Newsom , because Newsom ’s close friend Jason Kinney — with whom he wasrecently photographedbreaking quarantine at the fancy Napa Valley restaurant the French Laundry — is alobbyist for Aera .
“ It ’s a scandal , ” say Siegal .
The land has a long history of being built on vegetable oil and gun . Wells sprinkle the landscape across the Central Valley , and are evenhidden in plain sightin urban areas like Los Angeles . That ’s led to adverse health impacts , to say nothing of the legion refineries in the state ( including one thatspilled oil into San Francisco Bayjust this week ) . But the novel leases are the antithesis to where the country say it ’s going as a mood leader .
Siegal believe that California ’s fracking expansion is n’t just wrong , but also illegal . That ’s why the Center for Biological Diversity will soon charge a effectual case against the Newsom administration for “ blatant violation ” of the California involve Environmental Quality Act . Under the statute law , the governance is meant to support a public revaluation process and conduct an environmental brushup of every permit practical software they invite . But Siegal say they ’ve “ ignored ” that responsibility .
If California truly need to be seen as a earmark of progressive clime policy , Siegal order it should stop approving all new fracking permission immediately .
“ The phone number one thing that has to be a part of any successful mood policy is limiting the amount of fossil fuels that come out of the ground . you’re able to not succeed if you do n’t do that , ” she said .
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