"Fracking," or hydraulic fracturing, is a dangerous drilling technique that could endanger California's water, air, wildlife and public health. Yet oil and gas companies don't presently have to report when or where they frack wells in California -- or even what toxic chemicals they use.
More than 1,000 documented cases of water contamination across the country have been associated with fracking. As public concern has grown, California officials have finally begun talking about the need to regulate the industry.
The pollution and industrial development associated with fracking pose serious risks to humans as well as endangered species like the California condor, San Joaquin kit fox and blunt-nosed leopard lizard.
Demand California impose a moratorium on fracking until the state has a system that protects the Golden State's public health, environment and imperiled wildlife from contamination and requires oil and gas companies to disclose their activities -- before the damage is done.
SUBJECT: Protect California From Fracking Risks
Dear [Decision Maker],
Please impose a moratorium on fracking to give your department and state lawmakers time to create regulations that protect California's environment and public health from this dangerous drilling technique.
We have the opportunity to avoid the environmental damage that fracking for oil and gas has caused in other states, but as it expands in California the Department of Conservation does not have the basic information it needs to regulate this risky form of drilling.
Information is critical: State officials and the public should know where and when companies are fracking, how much water they use, what chemicals are employed and how they dispose of contaminated water. The industry should be required to disclose this basic information before a fracking project begins -- not after the damage has been done. Only then can we regulate the activity and make informed rules that will safeguard our drinking water, aquifers and lakes from contamination.
Our wildlife must also be protected. Endangered species like the California condor, San Joaquin kit fox and blunt-nosed leopard lizard live in places where fracking will likely proliferate. These animals can be harmed in many ways by fracking and the industrial development it creates.
Other states are becoming increasingly concerned about the risks posed by fracking. State legislatures in New York, New Jersey and Vermont have enacted bans or moratoriums. California should follow their lead and halt fracking until the state can put into place a well-planned set of regulations that assure the protection of our environment and health.
As a California resident, I have a right to be informed about and protected from chemicals being pumped into our environment.
Please impose a fracking moratorium pending the implementation of strong regulations that require full public disclosure of fracking activities. Protect public health and the environment in California.
Thank you.
