Carbajal Statement Opposing BLM Fracking Proposal on the Central Coast

Statement

Today, Rep. Carbajal (CA-24) released the following statement regarding the Trump administration's Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), analyzing proposals for hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, to increase oil and gas development on California's public lands:

"The Central Coast is already facing grave impacts from climate change, including rising sea levels, drought, and a nearly year-round fire season. The administration's plan to open public lands to fracking and oil development is a step backward and in the wrong direction given the increasingly urgent warnings from our scientific community on the unchecked effects of climate change. The Central Coast has a long history of environmental stewardship and we must continue speaking out to protect our clean air, open spaces, and wildlife habitat."

The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) plan identifies options for fracking in public and private land in eight counties in Central California, including San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. View the full report here. The 45-day period to comment on the report ends on June 10th, click here to leave your comment for BLM.

The report follows the administration's August 2018 proposal that considered opening 400,000 acres of public land in California, and 1.2 million acres for which the government holds mineral rights, to fracking.

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