Fracking causes rumbles in California

Published: 06 July, 2012, 01:39

California is one of the largest oil and gas producing states in the US. As the Golden State cashes in on the boom, the oil and gas industry is increasingly using fracking.

Last year about a quarter of all the oil and gas wells drilled in California were fracked and with no regulation in place, companies are rushing to dig some more. California is prone to droughts and earthquakes, leaving residents worried about how fracking could affect their water supply and the potential for an earth shaking disaster.

Southern California is known for its pristine coastline, but just a few miles away from the ocean lays a one-thousand acre oil field, right in the middle of Los Angeles.

“I didn’t buy here thinking this was going to happen in my backyard. I would have had second thoughts about living here,” said Gary Gless, a Los Angeles resident who lives just a few miles from the Inglewood Oil Field.

Gless and his neighbors are seeing their dream homes crack before their eyes and they blame the increased production at the oil fields next door.

When homeowners moved in, they say they were assured the wells were dry. Following recent methane leaks, however, residents found out that drilling picked up, and that the exploration company, PXP, is actually using fracking to extract oil.

“Fracking is happening completely unregulated in the state of California,” said Brenna Norton, an organizer with Food and Water Watch. “Oil and gas companies don’t have to say where they frack or what chemicals they are injecting into water, possibly close to your drinking water,” Norton added.

FULL STORY: http://rt.com/usa/news/california-oil-water-gas-516/