To: Governor Gavin Newsom
Don't Let Any More Oil Spill onto California's Coast
The oil spill that just occurred off the coast of Santa Barbara is devastating, and is just another example of the significant impacts the oil and gas industry is having on California's environment and people.
Rather than continuing to allow the oil and gas industry to have its way with California, I urge you to take real action to protect California's water, air, health, beaches and the climate on which we all depend.
I urge to you to take the following actions:
1. Take immediate action to ban fracking, acid fracking and other extreme extraction methods both on shore and off shore within California waters. This should be part of a broader goal of phasing out fossil fuel extraction in California.
2. Use the power and influence of your office and position to support federal legislation from Congresswoman Lois Capps that would stop new off shore oil and gas leases off the California coast and place a moratorium on fracking in California (H.R.1952 - California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act / H.R. 1951 Offshore Fracking Transparency and Review Act of 2015)
Rather than continuing to allow the oil and gas industry to have its way with California, I urge you to take real action to protect California's water, air, health, beaches and the climate on which we all depend.
I urge to you to take the following actions:
1. Take immediate action to ban fracking, acid fracking and other extreme extraction methods both on shore and off shore within California waters. This should be part of a broader goal of phasing out fossil fuel extraction in California.
2. Use the power and influence of your office and position to support federal legislation from Congresswoman Lois Capps that would stop new off shore oil and gas leases off the California coast and place a moratorium on fracking in California (H.R.1952 - California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act / H.R. 1951 Offshore Fracking Transparency and Review Act of 2015)
Why is this important?
The spill of more than one hundred thousand gallons of oil in Santa Barbara is devastating, and is just another example of the significant impacts the oil and gas industry is having on California's environment and people.
In the last few months it's been revealed that billions of gallons of oil industry waste water was pumped illegally into aquifers that hold water for drinking and agriculture; Water Defense also conducted testing that demonstrated that recycled oil wastewater was being used to irrigate crops in California's Kern County; and there have been increasing studies demonstrating that fracking and the disposal of fracking waste in injection wells is leading to earthquakes.
Rather than continuing to allow the oil and gas industry to have its way with California, Governor Brown must take real action to protect California's water, air, health, beaches and the climate on which we all depend.
Governor Brown recently signed a pact with leaders of several countries to set emissions targets for 2050, but we also need real action to protect California now. That's what real climate leadership would look like.
In the last few months it's been revealed that billions of gallons of oil industry waste water was pumped illegally into aquifers that hold water for drinking and agriculture; Water Defense also conducted testing that demonstrated that recycled oil wastewater was being used to irrigate crops in California's Kern County; and there have been increasing studies demonstrating that fracking and the disposal of fracking waste in injection wells is leading to earthquakes.
Rather than continuing to allow the oil and gas industry to have its way with California, Governor Brown must take real action to protect California's water, air, health, beaches and the climate on which we all depend.
Governor Brown recently signed a pact with leaders of several countries to set emissions targets for 2050, but we also need real action to protect California now. That's what real climate leadership would look like.