New Mexico County Becomes First in Nation to Ban Fracking

Sitting as it does on a fault line, Culver City has had many vocal opponents to fracking in the area. The city has already voted for a moratorium on the controversial practice. 

Today, the Los Angeles Times reported that Mora County in northern New Mexico recently became the first county in the country to pass an ordinance banning fracking.

Along with interviewing residents of the county, the Times also spoke with Ed Memi, of PXP, which operates the oil field alongside Culver City that the City of Culver City has been battling for years.

Memi said, "There is no evidence that hydraulic fracturing has caused felt seismic activity anywhere in California... The practice of hydraulic fracturing has been subjected to dozens of studies in recent years, and the fundamental safety of the technology is well understood by scientists, engineers, regulators and other technical experts."

However, Culver City Vice Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells has the opportunity to respond to Memi's comments and states, "I grew up in L.A. All my life I've heard about air-quality problems, earthquakes and water issues... It just so happens that fracking really hits on the three major challenges of this area. Frankly, I've been waiting for people to wake up and say, 'We are fracking on a fault line? Is this really in our interests?"

Click here to read the full article on the Los Angeles Times