In 2015, California reported having over 56,000 fracking sites, making it the third-largest producers of oil in the U.S. Many other U.S. states such as Vermont, Washington, Maryland, and New York have passed bans against fracking, and countries including Ireland, Germany, France, and Bulgaria have declared a moratorium on fracking nation-wide. California needs to join this fight to phase out fracking and move to cleaner energy sources. 

Why should we phase out fracking?

Fracking is the process of fracturing bedrock formations by injecting high-pressure liquid to extract gas or oil. In hydraulic fracking, this liquid is a mixture of chemicals and the process uses around 4 million gallons on AVERAGE, and over 90% of it never returns to the surface. This contributes to water scarcity and often heavily contaminates nearby water sources.

While California Governor Gavin Newsom has made statements about halting the approval of fracking permits and strengthening public health regulations near oil and gas facilities, these statements have failed to be fulfilled. In the first six months of 2020, California the state-issued 190% more oil and gas drilling permits than in the first six months of Governors Newsom's term.  

As youth activists, we are deeply concerned about the welfare of our communities. OUR FUTURE IS AT STAKE. Fracking has contributed to the contamination of water, air pollution, disproportionate impacts on BIPOC communities, and climate change. Legislation needs to change now in order to create a sustainable future for all. We urge Governor Newsom to uphold his previous promises and establish a tangible plan to phase out fracking in California. 

[ photo credits: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2019-2-march-april/feature/its-time-for-california-get-out-oil-business ]