Californians Bristle at State’s Proposed Fracking Ban

June 23, 2021

This week, Kern County, California’s leadership stood up and spoke out against Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) war on affordable, American energy. Kern County’s Board of Supervisors voted in opposition to the state’s draft rule that would ban fracking by January of 2024. KERO-ABC covered the vote:

That decision coming after a lengthy presentation from the Kern County Department of Planning and Natural Resources and other organizations also in opposition to the ban. The director of the Planning Department, Lorelei Oviatt, called the proposed ban an attack on the industry, saying that following through with it would set a dangerous precedent for other industries looking to come to the county.

“And now with no evidence of an environmental impact, the state is going to ban this innovative method. Not ban an industry, although they said they will someday. This is one method. What is to stop the next industry being attacked. Aerospace brings an innovative use and invests in it. It becomes a part of our economic diversification but then the state decides for whatever reason to ban that. What about alternative fuels? What about carbon capture? What about all these things they bring to us for economic diversification? This ban sends a chilling message, that if you come to California with something innovative, you better watch out because you could be next.”

Oviatt accurately captures the dangerous precedent set by the state’s attempt to ban fracking. California used to be a land of opportunity for Americans and for people around the world. For decades, it has been a favorite location for entrepreneurs looking to innovate and start businesses. But now, these innovators should be on notice. The state might as well put up a sign saying, “Closed for Business.”

As this blog wrote last month about the proposed fracking ban:

While California’s policymakers don’t seem to understand the importance of affordable energy, their citizens do and $1,147-$2,077 in annual savings is a lot to the average American. Earlier this month, state officials announced that California’s population decreased by 182,000 people in 2020, the first year-over-year population loss ever recorded for the state. This is what happens when government policies make a state too expensive for the working class, and this fracking ban is just more of the same.