SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers are focusing their attention on hydraulic fracturing as oil companies seek to use the technology to expand production in the San Joaquin Valley.
At least eight bills proposing to regulate or tax the industry are under consideration this year. That includes proposals to require disclosure of the ingredients used in fracking, which uses a high-pressure blast of water and chemicals to release oil from deep rock formations.
Other measures would address wastewater disposal and the amount of bonds that drillers post against potential damage. California does not have separate rules for oil wells using the fracking technique, but state regulators are considering oversight changes.
A federal report last year identified the Monterey Shale formation in the Central Valley as one of the nation’s largest oil deposits.
