A California bill to monitor and regulate hydraulic fracturing, or fracking has stumbled in a key Assembly committee. Under the bill, companies would have to make public all information regarding their fracking operations. Max Pringle reports from Sacramento.
Fracking is when energy companies inject pressurized water and chemicals into the ground to extract oil and gas. Jena Price with the California League of Conservation voters says the bill the League co-sponsored would set a national precedent on the regulation of fracking.
“It would require that you must test the water, disclose any potential air and water risks and the same company extracting the water under this law, will now be required to turn over all information.”
But Theo Pahos with the California Independent Petroleum Association says the bill is too broad in its current form.
“We think work still needs to be done to narrow the bill and make it so we can operate within its parameters and continue to do what we do.”
The bill has cleared the Senate. It is now in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which has delayed action on it.