Hollywood Against Fracking
Big Oil companies have California in their sights again. This time, they want to unleash fracking, the hugely controversial form of drilling, from San Francisco to LA. If we allow Big Oil to frack California, we’re facing an environmental nightmare.
At stake: our water, our land, our air
Oil companies want to inject chemical-laced water deep into the ground, fracturing subterranean rock and creating millions of gallons of toxic wastewater. Thousands of these fracking wells would use up our already scarce water, foul our already polluted air, risk contamination of our drinking water and farmland, and emit methane, a potent global warming pollutant.
- Fracking uses toxic chemicals and generates polluted waste water. According to a Congressional study, 13 different cancer-causing chemicals were found in the fracking fluids used by oil and gas companies between 2005 and 2009. In addition, California oil wells return five gallons of “produced water,” often laced with contaminants such as boron, ammonia and organic compounds, for every barrel of oil.
- Fracking threatens precious natural areas. Oil companies have already fracked wells adjacent to Los Padres National Forest and off the coast of Ventura County. Expanded fracking in the Monterey Shale could take place near Channel Islands National Park, Chino Hills State Park in Orange County, Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara County, and Point Mugu State Park in Ventura County – threatening visitors’ ability to enjoy those natural treasures.
- Fracking will bring new threats to our air. Air sampling near fracking sites in Texas and California has detected concentrations of hazardous air pollutants high enough to make people sick. Smog and soot pollution from heavy-duty trucks and other equipment also contribute to local and regional air pollution problems.
Time is running out
Your activism and our advocacy are a powerful combination. Gov. Jerry Brown needs to take a stand on this, but he’s leaning the wrong way. That’s why we’ve launched a major Hollywood and grassroots campaign and to kick it off, we need to mobilize the public behind a complete ban on fracking in California before it’s too late.
Together, we can ban fracking in California
Our staff have been knocking on doors across the state to educate Californians about what’s at stake. We’re also testifying in Sacramento, educating lawmakers, and shining a spotlight in the media on the need to ban fracking in California. But the real key to winning this fight is you.
Grassroots and Hollywood opposition to fracking has forced New York’s Gov. Cuomo to reconsider his support for fracking in his state. We need to build the same kind of opposition here in California to convince Gov. Brown that we should not, and will not, sacrifice our environment to enrich the oil industry.
Join Hollywood Against Fracking!
Key Facts
- What is fracking?
Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) is the high-pressure injection of water, sand and chemicals into underground shale rock formations. Fracking breaks up the shale and allows the oil or gas trapped within it to flow to the surface. While oil companies have been using some form of hydraulic fracturing for decades, new techniques allow fracking to be used in more places and with far greater impact on the environment.
Photo of a fracking rig in Colorado - Who wants to frack California?
Occidental Petroleum Company (Oxy) and Venoco have been the most aggressive companies looking to frack the Monterey Shale. As of 2010, Oxy had leased 873,000 acres in the Monterey Shale, while Venoco had leased 158,000 acres.
- How many wells could be fracked and how quickly?
- At 16 wells per square mile, more than 28,000 wells could be fracked in the Monterey Shale. Should California follow the path of other states, fracking could spread at lightning speed: North Dakota, for example, went from 868 wells producing oil in the Bakken Shale to more than 5,000 within just four years, while Texas issued 150 times more permits for drilling in the oil-producing Eagle Ford Shale in 2012 than it did in 2008.