| Online: | |
| Visits: | |
| Stories: |
| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Amid Record Drought, Fracking Companies Given Free Pass To Use 70 Million Gallons Of Clean Water
Image source: UCLA.edu
California fracking companies will be allowed to use all the water they want, even during the worst drought in the Golden State’s history.
When Governor Jerry Brown ordered average Californians to cut their water use by 25 percent on April 2, he specifically exempted fracking operations – a move that is drawing widespread criticism.
Fracking operations used 214 acre-feet of water, or around 70 million gallons of water in California in 2014, state officials told Reuters. The industry, though, says the amount is small.
“Hydraulic fracturing uses a relatively small amount of water – the equivalent of 514 households annually,” Steven Bohlen, the state oil and gas supervisor, told Reuters.
Big Oil Exempt
Brown, a Democrat, issued the first mandatory water regulations in California last week after surveys revealed the lowest snowpack in history in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. That low snowpack comes as the state faces a mega-drought that some say is the worst in 1,000 years.
The regulations target average homeowners and small business but not big oil.
Ultra-Efficient Water Filter Fits In Your Pocket!
A Los Angeles Times report indicates Brown’s restrictions include:
- A ban on watering the median strips of grass on California highways.
Source: http://www.offthegridnews.com/current-events/amid-record-drought-fracking-companies-given-free-pass-to-use-70-million-gallons-of-clean-water/
