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Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. John Laird Mark Nechodom, Conservation Director

 

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The Department of Conservation provides services and information that promote environmental health, economic vitality, informed land-use decisions and sound management of our state's natural resources.

Hydraulic Fracturing in California

Oil and gas production, pictured here, sometimes uses a technique called hydraulic fracturing. The state’s Department of Conservation is developing regulations specific to that production technique to ensure environmental protection.

 

Hydraulic Fracturing Draft Regulations – What Happens Next?

The California Department of Conservation and its Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources conducted five workshops in 2013 to hear public comments on the "discussion draft" of hydraulic fracturing regulations prior to the start of the formal rulemaking process.  During 2012, seven workshops were held to gain public input on hydraulic fracturing.  So, what happens next? All comments -- including those given orally or in writing at the workshops and those sent electronically via comment links on the Department and Division Web sites -- will be taken into consideration as the process of developing the first official draft of regulations moves forward. Once the next draft and the required supporting documents are complete, the Department will begin the formal rulemaking process. These next steps in the rulemaking process are expected to take several months, and the public can continue to submit comments during this time via the online links. There also will be an opportunity for public input during the formal rulemaking process.

Additional details about the many important requirements involved in the rulemaking process, please click here.

Other items of interest:

                          Members of the public who wish to comment about the “discussion draft” of regulations are invited to email comments@conservation.ca.gov

                          If you wish to subscribe to a mailing list for information about the ongoing process of developing hydraulic fracturing regulations, click here.

News

  • Boron was the leading non-fuel mineral commodity in California in 2011 by value, according to a new report by the California Geological Survey. About $2.9 billion worth of minerals were produced by the state's 700 active mines.
  • The California Geological survey released its latest landslide inventory maps to enhance public safety and guide development in the greater Los Angeles area. The new maps cover portions of Burbank, Universal City, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Culver City, Glendale and more.
  • Yolo County farmer Tony Martin believes his property near Winters "is probably some of the best in the world." And now it is permanently conserved for agricultural use after the Department of Conservation's California Farmland Conservancy Program partnered with federal and local agencies to create an agricultural conservation easement on the Martin Farm.
  • According to a new California Geological Survey report, most areas of California do not have enough permitted aggregate reserves to cover their anticipated 50-year construction demands. A number of California communities will have to either permit new mines locally or import material, and a few are a decade or less away from facing shortages.
  • California Geological Survey Supervising Engineering Geologist Charles "Chuck" Real receives the Western States Seismic Policy Council's Lifetime Achievement Award for demonstrating outstanding leadership in earthquake risk reduction. Throughout his career, Real has demonstrated an extraordinary committment, level of service, and contribution to the application of earthquake risk reduction to public policy.
  • Have you ever wondered where the most fertile farmland in California is? Thanks to a new application by the Farmland Monitoring and Mapping Program, you can now pull this information up on your Smart Phone or desktop computer. The California Important Farmland Finder can be used to determine acreage and farmland status of a particular data point.
  • If you hear a rumbling and feel the ground vibrating, it may be something other than crowds rushing to the nearest holiday sale. The California Geological Survey reminds the public that when the weather turns rainy, the possibility of landslides increases significantly.
  • The California Geological Survey has released a map that establishes earthquake hazard zones for parts of the city of San Jose and Santa Clara County. The Lick Observatory Quadrangle Seismic Hazard Zone map designates land where special precautions may have to be implemented for new development in order to protect life and property in the event of a large earthquake.
  • The California Geological Survey has issued 13 new or revised regulatory maps that will impact where construction can take place in five counties. These Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone Maps establish zones around the surface traces of active faults and require a setback from active fault traces found, typically 50 feet, for new construction. More information here.
  • The Office of Mine Reclamation and State Mining and Geology Board have presented a San Diego County mine operator with the annual "Excellence in Reclamation" award for restoring a former quarry site to a useful post-mining condition. Want to know more?
  • The California Farmland Conservancy Program (CFCP) worked with federal and local officials to create an agricultural conservation easement on the 253-acre Galeazzi Farm in Lockeford, just east of Stockton. The property -- ideal for growing walnuts -- is now permanently shielded from future development. Get the details.

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