California Sued Over De-Facto Ban on Fracking

October 12, 2021

One of the reasons radical environmentalists constantly use “the sky is falling” arguments is because they can then justify going to any extreme to get what they want. This is happening once again in California.

Governor Gavin Newsom pushed the legislature to pass a law banning fracking in the state by 2024, but the state legislature failed to pass one. The governor then set out to stretch the powers of the state’s executive branch and write a rule that would effectively stop fracking under that same timeline. But it appears that is taking too long. So now, the Newsom administration is simply declining to approve any permits for drilling that would involve fracking. Fortunately, people are fighting back.

Last week, the Western States Petroleum Association filed a lawsuit saying the state’s denial of fracking permit applications is overstepping the Newsom administration’s authority. Furthermore, Newsom’s de-facto ban on the practice is against California law that says the state is supposed to encourage energy production.

The Bakersfield Californian reports:

WSPA said fracking has been performed safely in California for decades and that it’s important for production in the state’s mature oil fields. The lawsuit said Newsom’s de-facto ban — no WST permit has been approved by the state in more than six months, it stated — amounts to an arbitrary and capricious “abuse of discretion.”

The lawsuit tries to make the case that the administration’s denial of fracking applications not only harms oil producers that have invested in developing and extracting oil-field resources, but that it sacrifices jobs and government tax revenues, particularly in Kern, the heart of West Coast oil production.

It also asserts, based on a state-commissioned scientific study, that increasing California’s reliance on imported oil from overseas worsens air quality, safety and spill risks while having a higher negative impact on poor neighborhoods.

Once again, Governor Newsom and California’s radical environmentalists are choosing their own agenda over common sense and the public welfare. PTF has previously written on how California policies are driving up costs for working families, even beyond energy costs. In August, we noted how a series of new construction regulations designed to boost solar energy were going to make the California housing market even more expensive. But this is just par for the course with the eco-left in California.

There is a reason many Californians are concerned that their government is going too far, and in a democracy, those voices are supposed to be heard. Instead, Newsom and his advocates just push ahead, regardless of the pain they inflict on their constituents or the number of laws they break.