California closer to fracking regulation

April 10, 2013 | By Travis Mitchell

Proposed fracking regulations have passed their first step in California, winning approval Tuesday in a 6-2 vote by the state's Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.

SB 4 would set a January 1, 2015 deadline for implementing fracking regulations. The hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" process uses high-pressure fluids to extract natural gas from underground and has stirred up controversy surrounding its effects on groundwater health. Among its provisions, SB 4 would create new public reporting and disclosure requirements regarding the locations and chemicals used for fracking, as well as institute a permitting process.

"These are the kinds of basic protections needed to protect public safety," said Senator Fran Pavely, the bill's sponsor, in a statement.

"We have already seen contaminated water from other industrial sources sicken people and destroy entire towns in California. We must not repeat this pattern," she said.

Pavely introduced similar legislation in 2012, but it failed to make it out of the state Senate. There are now at least seven fracking bills working their way through the state legislature, according to Pavely's office.

For more:
-see the SB 4 facts

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/california-closer-fracking-regulation/2013-04-10