Culver City Council to Consider Resolution Calling For a Fracking Moratorium

The City Council will consider adopting a resolution calling on the State of California’s Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) to place a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing at its special City Council meeting at City Hall on Mon. July 2 at 7 p.m.

The move comes following the State community meeting on fracking on and the . At both meetings council members and members of the public spoke about their concerns regarding the practice.

According to the staff report, the proposed resolution to be discussed Monday night, “urges DOGGR to immediately place a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing and on the disposal of fracking wastewater by injection wells until DOGGR takes all necessary and appropriate actions to adopt, implement and enforce comprehensive regulations concerning the practice of fracking that will ensure that public health and safety and the environment will be adequately protected.”

. However, the City raised concerns at both the June 18 meeting and in its staff report about whether it had the authority to place a ban or whether such a move “would be preempted by California’s delegation of authority to DOGGR to regulate oil and gas production, particularly with respect to subsurface operations.”

The staff report also notes that if the City moves ahead with a ban the oil company PXP could issue a legal challenge that could have dire financial consequences.

The staff report states, “the costs of defending against such a lawsuit would be significant and it is uncertain as to how a court would ultimately rule.”

As a result, the council will also discuss options related to local regulations surrounding fracking on Monday night.

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