Central Coast Legislators Express Opposition to BLM Proposal to Open Federal Lands to Fracking and Drilling

SACRAMENTO —  State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), along with Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel) and Senator Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park), have sent a letter to the Bureau of Land Management expressing their opposition to the recent proposal to open more than 270,000 acres of federal land and mineral estates in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties to fracking and oil drilling.

The letter states, “This plan trammels the intention of these communities to protect residents from adverse environmental and health impacts. As such, this plan is overly broad, is insensitive to local community needs and health considerations.”

The letter also criticizes the process used for notifying the public and the amount of time given to communities to respond, stating “the Bureau should extend public comment by several weeks, and should also make all efforts to inform all newly affected communities of how the proposal impacts them.”

Click here for the entire letter