California Governor Rejects Fracking Moratorium

California Governor Jerry Brown, long noted for his commitment to environmental causes, announced that he would veto any legislation banning fracking. Brown announced recently that California would increase its commitment to reducing carbon emissions. However, the Governor also announced late last month that he would not sign a fracking moratorium that ultimately failed in the state senate.

The governor has taken a tough regulatory stance on the practice, but does not favor its removal from California's energy options. Recent discoveries of shale oil deposits in the state have been severely overestimated, meaning that there may be little large scale fracking in California's near future.

Brown said that the banning the practice would simply push natural gas production to other areas, with Californians being leading consumers of the product.