NRDC Statement: CA Governor Newsom Announces Fracking Ban

SACRAMENTO – Governor Newsom announced action to ban new permits for hydraulic fracturing starting in 2024 and called on state regulators to evaluate phasing out all oil production in the state by 2045.

Following is a reaction from Ann Alexander, a senior attorney at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“The Governor is rightly acknowledging that California needs to phase out its dinosaur oil extraction industry, starting with the worst forms of it, while protecting communities. For too long, California has been taking the questionable path of trying to meet its climate targets while producing some of the most carbon-intense oil in the world; and leaving suffering communities in its wake. We hope the Governor will work closely with impacted stakeholders in making this plan a reality, and will continue to urge the administration to protect vulnerable people immediately by mandating a setback buffer from drilling operations.  With a fossil fuel phaseout underway, California must also double down on its efforts to ensure that workers find a place in California’s emerging decarbonized economy.” 

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.