The oil industry trade group is really taking aim at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s in practice fracking ban with a lawsuit in Kern County Superior Court. This lawsuit is actually that mirroring the accusations the county government made in a complaint that was filing a month ago.
Oil Trade Group – Fracking Contradictions
On Friday, the 91-page lawsuit Western States Petroleum Association filed did repeat claims that the state’s recent denial of a fracking permit applications. This does overstep the administration’s authority which was laying out in the state Constitution. However, the suit does allege the state’s move to block, therefore, fracking contradicts the state’s earlier findings on well stimulations treatments. Moreover, that under the state Public Resources Code the state is really supposing to actually encourage oil production, not ban it.
Gavin Newsom Better Watch Out!
The suit names Newsom is a defendant along with State Oil and Gas Supervisor Uduak-Joe Ntuk; also his agency, the California Geologic Energy Management Division; and the director of the state Department of Conservation, David Shabazian. This lawsuit was filed on WSPA’s behalf by the San Francisco-based law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.
Fighting Climate Change
“Unfortunately, the State of California is, unfortunately, going to continue to take arbitrary actions. It does, in fact, actually deliver little positive benefits for our fight against climate change. However, it does impose big impacts on Californians. This goes to our finances, to our freedoms, basically to how we live and work every day,” WSPA President and CEO Catherine Reheis-Boyd. This is what she said in an emailed statement.
Oil: Future Permits
“Therefore, CalGEM has a decision that will deny future permits for (well stimulation treatments such as fracking) operations. It does ignore the law and is contrary to all scientific studies and evaluations. It has been conducted by CalGEM itself plus other independent scientific bodies,” she added.