Lawsuit claims California not enforcing state fracking rules

Washington (Platts)--24Jan2013/516 pm EST/2216 GMT


The Center for Biological Diversity alleged Thursday in a lawsuit that the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources has allowed hydraulic fracturing to expand without legally required oversight.

"A looming fracking boom threatens to transform California, creating serious pollution risks to our air, water and climate," Vera Pardee, the senior attorney for the center, said in a statement. "Existing rules clearly cover fracking, but state officials don't regulate or even track this dangerous way of extracting oil and gas. The state needs to stop ignoring the law and start protecting our environment."

In a suit filed with the Alameda County Superior Court, the center claimed more than 600 wells in at least nine California counties were fracked in 2011 alone, and recent advances in fracking techniques are driving a growing interest in the Monterey Shale, a geological formation holding an estimated 14 billion barrels of oil.

"At present, industry fracks whenever and however it deems fit, and that practice has to stop," Pardee said. "State regulators must implement the requirements that are already in place to provide better protection for the air we breathe and the water we drink."

The center alleged that all hydraulic fracturing is in violation of the state's Underground Injection Control program.

The center also claimed that the division allows fracking "to occur without notice, tracking or supervision" and the agency "does not know where or how often hydraulic fracturing occurs in California" or what chemicals are used in the process.

The division did not return calls requesting comment on the suit.

--Rodney White, rodney_white@platts.com --Edited by Lisa Miller, lisa_miller@platts.com

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