Feds to resume leasing for fracking in California

The Bureau of Land Management says it will resume oil and gas leasing for fracking on federal land in California next year.

The decision – announced on Thursday – comes after a new study commissioned by the BLM concluded that fracking as it’s currently conducted in California isn’t poisoning air or water or increasing the risks of earthquakes in the state.

The BLM stopped granting new oil and gas leases in California last year. A federal judge had found that the BLM failed to follow the law in approving fracking on public land in Monterey County.

The study commissioned by the BLM was conducted by the California Council for Science and Technology. The researchers acknowledged that the study was based on limited data.