Huge Fracking Rally in Sacramento This Weekend

On March 15th, Californians from across the state will descend on the capitol to speak out against the state’s failure to protect residents from the risks of fracking, as oil companies are increasingly looking to ramp up this heavy industrial process across our state. NRDC is proud to join Californians Against Fracking, Sierra Club, CREDO Action, 350.org, and dozens of other groups to take a stand.

The rally comes as momentum is building for a statewide fracking moratorium. For months, NRDC and scores of other groups have been calling on Governor Brown to use his authority to place a moratorium on fracking via executive order (earlier this year we sent him a letter signed by more than 50 organizations, representing more than 2 million Californians). Now, we are also rallying behind recently introduced state legislation, Senate Bill 1132, by Senator Holly Mitchell and Mark Leno that would do the same. In the coming weeks, this bill will be heard in Senate committees, and we are proud of Senators Mitchell and Leno for their leadership in calling for a time-out on fracking. An immediate fracking moratorium is critical to give the state time to assess the health risks and environmental impacts of fracking and other extraction processes, like acidizing, in order to determine whether it’s possible – and if so, how – to protect against them.

Meanwhile, as the push for a statewide moratorium continues, Los Angeles is taking matters into its own hands. On February 28, the City Council unanimously passed a motion that brings L.A. one step closer to imposing a city-wide moratorium on fracking, acidizing, and other dangerous well stimulation activities. The motion directs the City Attorney to draft a moratorium ordinance that, if approved by the City Council, would make Los Angeles the largest city in the country to put a fracking moratorium in place. In taking this step, L.A. is joining a growing trend we’re seeing around the country of communities taking their fracking fate into their own hands when their state and the federal government fail to protect them. That’s something NRDC is helping to support across the country with our Community Fracking Defense Project.

With the chorus only growing louder around the state, this week’s rally couldn’t come at a better time, in a better place. Join us and other concerned Californians to make our voices heard in Sacramento as lawmakers begin the legislative session. We’ll be gathering at 1:00 p.m. on March 15th on the Capitol Lawn to demand the state protect Californians against the risks of fracking.