SR-11-27-2012-3DCity Council Meeting: November 27, 2012
Agenda Item: 3D
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Dean Kubani, Director— Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Subject: Resolution for a Moratorium on Hydraulic Fracturing in California
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution that calls for a
moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in California until adequate regulatory
safeguards are in place.
Executive Summary
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a controversial oil industry practice, currently being
used in the Inglewood oil field east of Santa Monica, that has the potential to produce
significant negative environmental and human health impacts. The cities of Culver City,
West Hollywood and Los Angeles have all recently adopted resolutions calling for a
statewide ban or moratorium on fracking until regulatory safeguards can be developed.
These cities have asked Santa Monica to consider adopting a similar resolution. This
report recommends the adoption of the attached resolution calling for a moratorium on
fracking until adequate regulatory safeguards are in place.
Background
Hydraulic fracturing (commonly referred to as "fracking ") is a technique that is used to
increase oil and gas production by injecting water and chemicals at high pressures into
the ground to create fractures in subsurface rock in order to release petroleum or
natural gas for extraction. As the use of fracking has greatly increased in recent years,
so have concerns about its potential negative impacts. Fracking is a suspected source
of polluted drinking water in Arkansas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, West
Virginia and Wyoming and has been linked to seismic activity caused by the injection of
fracking fluids and the re- injection of waste fluids into wells. Other concerns include
potential impacts to air quality, generation of polluted wastewater, and excessive water
use required by the fracking process.
F
Fracking has been used in California for decades, primarily as an aid to oil extraction,
however it remains largely unregulated. The California Department of Conservation,
Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources ( DOGGR) regulates oil drilling in the
state, however it does not currently regulate the practice of hydraulic fracturing.
DOGGR has no records of the location or number of wells where fracking is taking
place in the state, does not maintain records of the types and amounts of chemicals
being injected into the ground, the amount of water used or the disposition of the
wastewater generated by the practice. However, DORRG recently began a process of
studying potential regulations on fracking.
Fracking is currently being used to aid oil extraction in numerous wells in the Inglewood
oil field, which is approximately 4 miles east of Santa Monica and located in the cities of
Culver City, Baldwin Hills and Inglewood. As there are no known oil or natural gas
deposits within the City of Santa Monica it is not likely that fracking would ever be used
here.
Discussion
On July 2, 2012 the City Council of Culver City adopted a resolution urging DOGGR to
place a statewide ban on fracking due to community concerns about its potential
impacts on public health, safety and the environment. Citing similar concerns, the cities
of Los Angeles and West Hollywood have both recently adopted resolutions calling for a
moratorium on fracking until regulatory safeguards can be established. These cities
have asked the City of Santa Monica to consider adopting a similar resolution. The
Board of the Westside Cities Council of Governments will be discussing this issue and
possibly voting on a resolution requesting either a moratorium or a ban on fracking at its
Board meeting on November 29, 2012.
Commission Action
Santa Monica's Task Force on the Environment discussed the known and potential
environmental and human health impacts related to fracking at its meeting on August
2
20, 2012. Following that discussion the Task Force unanimously adopted a motion
recommending that City Council adopt a resolution that calls for:
• An immediate moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in California until
adequate regulatory safeguards including, but not limited to, air, water and soil
disclosure and notification are in place.
• Requirements that the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources and the
California State Water Resources Control Board expeditiously develop, approve
and implement protective regulations within their existing authority, including
disclosure reports.
• Incorporating hydraulic fracturing in Santa Monica's Sustainability Bill of Rights
The attached resolution addresses the points raised in the Task Force motion and
recommends that DOGGR place a moratorium on fracking in California until regulatory
safeguards are developed and adopted.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
There are no financial impacts or budget actions associated with the adoption of this
resolution.
Prepared by: Dean Kubani, Director — Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Approved:
Oak,��-
Dean Kubani
Director, Office of Sustainability and the
Environment
Attachments:
Resolution
Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager
Reference
Resolution No. 10720
(CCS).