Ventana Chapter - Conservation Issues

Old Baldy, Canada | photo by Cameron Schaus

Conservation Issues of the Ventana Chapter | monterey county

Chapter Submits Comments to BLM Regarding the Dangers of Fracking

February 2014

Inner Coast Range habitat with a mosaic of vegetation including Chaparral, Oak and Foothill Pine Woodland on BLM land near the Fort Hunter-Liggett military base in Monterey County. (Photograph: Nikki Nedeff).

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently soliciting comments to conduct studies of the potential environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and other oil drilling activities in central California for the 284,000 acres of public land under the jurisdiction of the Hollister Field Office. The resulting Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will evaluate the effects and risks of fracking in the Monterey Shale, an area stretching from Santa Cruz to Ventura Counties. BLM is also seeking statewide science review of potential oil and gas drilling impacts on the environment and geology of California, including the potential seismic impacts of drilling in a state that is constantly subjected to earthquakes.

The decision to conduct EIS review comes after a federal judge gave a victory to a Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) lawsuit which challenged BLM's decision to auction off about 2,500 acres to oil companies. The Court found that BLM had violated the National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA; that they were using out of date environmental assessment and that the new drilling techniques warranted updated studies. The EIS process is likely to take about two years.

Attached are the Chapter's comments emphasizing the potential negative effects fracking will have on the environment and our dwindling water supplies. (PDF here)

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