[env-trinity] Butte County Voters Pass Fracking Ban/Mismanagment

[Dan Bacher]

Good Morning

Here are two of my latest pieces, the first an article in dailykos  
about the passage of the fracking ban in Butte County and the second  
an LTE in the Sacramento Bee
about water mismanagement leading to the near-extinction of Delta smelt.

Thanks
Dan

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/6/10/1537286/-Butte-County-Voters-Pass-Fracking-Ban




Butte County Voters Pass Fracking Ban

by Dan Bacher

The voters in Butte County, California approved Measure E, a ban on  
fracking, by an overwhelming 71 percent on June 7.


Butte is the fourth California county to ban the environmentally  
destructive and dangerous method of oil extraction, according to a  
statement from Frack-Free Butte County,  the campaign organized by the  
Citizens Action Network (CAN), in coordination with the Butte  
Environmental Council, in the largely rural and agricultural county.  
San Benito, Santa Cruz and Mendocino counties have also passed  
fracking bans, as have the cities of Beverly Hills and Carson,

“We are thrilled that Butte County voters decided to protect our clean  
water and almond and walnut farms from fracking,” said Dave Garcia, of  
Frack-Free Butte County. “We’re proud that we can hand down a  
community that’s green and pristine to our children and grandchildren.”

Measure E proponents were able to convince the voters that toxic  
fracking chemicals would destroy the county’s water supply and  
farmlands, as well as endanger the health of their citizens. The toxic  
chemicals used in fracking, including benzene, toluene and other  
carcinogens, could make groundwater unsafe for drinking and irrigation.

"We congratulate Butte County for banning fracking and protecting  
California’s precious water resources," said Ella Teevan, Northern  
California organizer with Food & Water Watch. "When our Governor and  
local elected officials fail to act, voters are taking the initiative  
at the ballot box to protect their health and their water from  
fracking. The victory in Butte County will inspire other counties and  
cities to follow suit."

The latest victory against fracking in a California county shows that  
grassroots activists can indeed win, in spite of the oil industry’s  
power and influence, when they are organized.

Big Oil is the biggest and most powerful corporate lobby in Sacramento  
— and the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) is the biggest  
and most powerful lobbying organization. The oil industry, including  
WSPA, Chevron, Phillips 66, AERA Energy, Exxon and Shell, have spent  
more than $25 million so far in the 2015-16 legislative session. Big  
Oil also has millions and millions of dollars to spend on election  
campaigns.

There was no official opposition to Measure E during the campaign, but  
activists believe that it is likely that the oil industry will file a  
lawsuit like Marathon Oil did when San Benito passed its measure ban  
against fracking in 2014.

On June 6, 2014, attorney Sean P. Welch of the San Rafael-based firm  
Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Gross and Leoni filed a lawsuit  
against the initiative proponents on behalf of an oil industry group   
called “Californians for a Safe Secure Energy Future.” The lawsuit  
claimed that the initiative petition sheets that were submitted had  
several fatal legal flaws that made it invalid.

“The county clerk halted the process of certifying signatures while  
the court case was resolved,” according to Ballotpedia. “The suit  
claimed that the petition did not comply with county and state  
elections law with regard to wording and formatting. In a preliminary  
ruling on July 23, 2014, Butte County Superior Court Judge Robert  
Glusman decided that the petitions' faults, which were admitted by the  
petitioners, were not significant enough to impede the initiative  
process.”

This measure is one of four similar initiatives passed in the state  
that has been contributing to the growing anti-fracking momentum  
currently at the forefront of the political discussion, Measure E  
advocates noted.

The passage of the Measure E ban on fracking comes after a similar  
ordinance failed to pass the Butte County Board of Supervisors in  
February of 2015, due to oil industry opposition. Residents were  
concerned that the county’s 200 abandoned gas wells were ripe for  
fracking since the practice is occurring in neighboring Glenn, Colusa  
and Sutter Counties, according to Measure E proponents.

Garcia emphasized, “The biggest victory of this campaign was the fact  
that it was residents of the county, not  the corporations, that  
decided whether or not fracking would be allowed in Butte County.”

As of February 2015, there were 10 active gas wells in Butte County,  
with many more wells in nearby Glenn County and Tehama County.  In  
early 2015, none of the wells had been reported as hydraulically  
fractured, according to Frac Focus.

There are also 17 natural gas storage wells, depleted wells that are  
currently used for storage, operated by Wild Goose Storage, according  
to Garcia. That operation is similar to the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage  
facility, the infamous operation responsible for the massive gas leak  
that forced thousands of residents of the Los Angeles County community  
of Porter Ranch to move out of their homes last year.

Residents of Monterey and Alameda Counties watched the Butte County  
measure closely with an eye to their own local campaigns, Teevan  
noted. Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on a  
fracking ban sometime this summer, while Monterey County voters will  
tackle the issue on the ballot November 7.



2. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article82575547.html

Mismanagement caused fish’s peril

Re “Delta smelt’s state gets more dire with index at record  
low”(Local, June 7): It is appalling that the Delta smelt population  
has reached a record low level. Biologists counted only 13 adult Delta  
smelt, once the most abundant fish in the estuary.

The gross mismanagement of water by the state and federal governments  
has led to the demise of the smelt, an indicator species that  
demonstrates the health of the Delta. For decades, the pumping  
facilities have shipped massive quantities of water south to corporate  
agribusiness interests and water agencies, destroying the habitat of  
smelt and other fish.

Ironically, Gov. Jerry Brown continues to forge ahead with the Delta  
tunnels, a project that will only hasten the extinction of Delta and  
longfin smelt, Central Valley steelhead, winter-run Chinook salmon and  
green sturgeon.






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