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Conservation Issues of the Ventana Chapter | monterey county

Club files protest to stop fracking in Monterey County
Drilling poised to move forward without thorough environmental review

August 2011
Carmel ValleyAreas proposed for leasing include designated watershed areas in Monterey County and habitat for endangered and threatened species such as the San Joaquin kit fox and the blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Photo: Rita Dalessio

The Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, and Los Padres ForestWatch filed a formal protest in July to stop the Bureau of Land Management from leasing out 2,600 acres of environmentally sensitive land in Monterey and Fresno counties for oil and gas development. The leasing of this federal mining-estate land comes without a thorough examination of the effects drilling will have on California's landscapes, wildlife and watersheds.

"By turning a blind eye to the dangers of fracking, BLM is putting Monterey's water quality in serious jeopardy," said Matt Vespa, an attorney at the Center. "These sensitive areas ought to be protected, not turned into industrial zones."

"Thorough environmental review must be completed before any drilling takes place," said Rita Dalessio of the Ventana Chapter conservation committee. "We need to protect our water, air, and communities from this potentially harmful drilling. Natural gas drilling should not come with the sacrifice of our beautiful California landscapes and certainly not our health."

Future gas drilling would likely involve high-pressure hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," a highly controversial and dangerous drilling method linked to water contamination in other parts of the country. Recent reports show fracking has resulted in more than 1,000 documented cases of groundwater contamination, either through the leaking of fracking fluids and methane into groundwater or via above-ground spills of contaminated wastewater.

Oil and gas development results in the release of significant amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Although there are many cost-effective means to control methane leakage, the Bureau of Land Management refused to consider any of these measures to reduce greenhouse gas pollution resulting from the proposed lease sale.

Despite these risks, areas proposed for leasing include designated watershed areas in Monterey County and habitat for endangered and threatened species such as the San Joaquin kit fox and the blunt-nosed leopard lizard.



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Current
Sierra Club and CBD Submit Comments to Bureau of Land Management's Request for Public Review of Oil and Gas Leasing and Development on Federal Lands
April 2017

Sierra Club Plans to Comment on Bureau of Land Management Request for Public Review of Oil and Gas Leasing and Development on Federal Lands
January 2017

Crude Oil Train Rail Spur Extension Project Closer to Approval by San Luis Obispo Planning
May 2016

Sierra Club and Other Groups File Lawsuit against California Oil Regulators
December 2015

Sierra Club, Other Groups File Federal Lawsuit to Curb Unsafe Oil Trains
May 2015

Earthjustice, Sierra Club and Center of Biological Diversity File Lawsuit to Halt California Oil Injection Practices
May 2015

Sierra Club Condemns State Injection Well Practices, Calls for Investigation
February 2015

Sierra Club Submits Comment Letter to DOGGR
November 2014

Monterey County Board of Supervisors Review Fracking Regulations
September 2014

Trio Petroleum Well Permit Denied at Monterey County Planning Commission
August 2014

A Renewable Energy Economy?
August 2014

Sierra Club CA Submits Comments to DOGGR on Fracking
August 2014

Chapter Submits Comments to BLM Regarding the Dangers of Fracking
February 2014

Santa Cruz County Moves To Adopt Fracking Moratorium
December 2013

Sierra Club Opposes Weak Fracking Bill SB 4 Passed by the Assembly
September 2013

Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity Win a Major Fracking Decision for Central California
August 2013

Chapter Submits Comments to State Regulatory Board Regarding Lack of Oversight for Fracking; Public Concern Grows
May 2013

Sierra Club and CBD Win Major Fracking Lawsuit Victory
April 2013

New Sierra Club Lawsuit Aims to Protect More Public Lands from Fracking
April 2013

Sierra Club Sues California Department of Conservation Over Dangers of Fracking
October 2012

Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity Sue BLM over Oil Leases
February 2012

Club files protest to stop fracking in Monterey County
August 2011

Controversial fracking method approved for oil drilling near Salinas River
April 2011