Can California Successfully Ban Fracking and Oil Extraction by 2024?

The governor of California has proposed a ban on new fracking licenses and an end in all oil production by 2045.

In recent years, oil and gas extraction in California has come under increased scrutiny. Researchers believe the state will need to double down on measures to curb greenhouse gas pollution. It faces increasing droughts, rising sea levels, historic wildfires, and lethal heat waves as it grapples with the climate crisis.

Despite Newsom's two-year-old stricter restrictions on the oil and gas industry, the Center for Biological Diversity claims that the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) has proceeded to grant fracking licenses without adequate environmental scrutiny. CalGEM granted 213 drilling licenses in 2019 and 82 in 2020, and almost 2,000 combined permits for new oil and gas wells issued last year.

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