fracking News

Settlement Blocks New Federal Fracking Leases in California

Leasing for new oil and gas drilling on federal land in central California is temporarily blocked under a settlement announced this week between the state and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The deal, which still needs court approval, centers …

California Turning Down Most Fracking Permits Ahead of 2024 Ban

California regulators haven’t approved permits for the controversial oil and gas extraction process known as fracking since February, effectively phasing out the process ahead of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2024 deadline to end it. The state’s Geologic Energy Management Division, known …

Thanks to Oil Boom, N. Dakota County Sees Fastest Growth in US

First came the roughnecks and other oil field workers, almost all men. Lured by steady wages as the nation climbed out of the Great Recession, they filled McKenzie County’s few motel rooms, then began sleeping in cars, tents, trailers — …

Judge Tosses Suit Seeking End to Delaware River Drilling Ban

A federal judge on Friday threw out a lawsuit by Republican state lawmakers in Pennsylvania that sought to overturn a ban on gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing in the Delaware River basin, ruling they lacked standing to sue. Senate Republicans …

California Legislature Votes Down Fracking Ban

California lawmakers rejected a bill that would have banned fracking in the state, succumbing to pressure from the powerful oil and gas industry and their labor union allies who warned the bill would have cost good-paying jobs. The bill was …

California Lawmakers Introduce Proposal to Ban Fracking by 2027

New legislation would ban all fracking in California by 2027, taking aim at the powerful oil and gas industry in the state already planning to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Progressive California has long been a …

Radiation Near Fracking Sites Poses Potential But Not Extreme Health Risk

Radiation levels downwind of U.S. hydraulic fracturing drilling sites tend to be significantly higher than background levels, posing a potential health risk to nearby residents, according to a study by Harvard researchers released on Tuesday. The study, published in the …

California Ban on Fracking by 2024 Criticized as Too Late

California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved Wednesday to end issuing new hydraulic fracturing permits by 2024, a delay criticized by many environmental groups but characterized as legally and politically realistic by another. “He can suspend fracking now, but he is punting …

U.K. Bans Fracking on Concerns About Earthquake Risk

The U.K. fracking industry suffered a fatal blow as the Conservative government ended its support for the controversial practice. The move, just weeks ahead of a general election, effectively bans new wells using hydraulic fracturing technology. Companies from Cuadrilla Resources …

China’s Biggest Oil & Gas Producer Halts Fracking After Series of Quakes

The backlash against shale drilling in earthquake-prone regions — a thorn in the side of U.S. energy companies for the past decade — reached China this week after a series of temblors killed two people and reduced homes to rubble. …