Fran Pavley

[Sen. Pavley] – Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, will co-chair a hearing on hydraulic fracturing, aka “fracking,” on Tuesday, Feb. 12.

Fracking refers to the practice of pumping water and chemicals into the ground to fracture rock, freeing the valuable oil and natural gas trapped inside to be pumped to the surface. While fracking has increased natural gas supplies and is being used to grow California’s oil production, numerous concerns have been raised around the use of toxic chemicals, groundwater contamination and other issues.

“The Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing in Oil and Gas Production in California” will be a joint hearing between the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, chaired by Pavley, and the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, chaired by Senator Michael Rubio, D–Shafter. It will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the John L. Burton Hearing Room, room 4203 in the State Capitol Building.

The main goal of the hearing will be to gain information and prompt debate about new fracking regulations proposed by the California Division of Oil Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR). The speaker list includes representatives from DOGGR, the Department of Conservation, the Western States Petroleum Association, Clean Water Action and numerous other entities.

“I look forward to this opportunity to hear about both industry, environmental and community concerns with this rapidly-growing yet under-examined practice,” said Pavley.

Pavley has also proposed legislation that calls on DOGGR to enact new regulations around fracking. SB 4 specifies that companies engaged in fracking must notify the local community beforehand, and also disclose to DOGGR what chemicals they are using. The bill also provides trade secret protection to industry, but requires full chemical disclosure to emergency responders and health professionals if necessary.