Buhl, L. (2017, March 08). Chevron, Aera Energy sue to block Monterey County, California’s

voter-approved ban on fracking. Retrieved March 13, 2017, from

http://www.nationofchange.org/2017/03/09/chevron-aera-energy-sue-block-monterey-

county-californias-voter-approved-ban-fracking/

 

In December, Aera Energy and Chevron, sued Monterey County to block the rolling out of the recently passed Measure Z.  Measure Z, passed in November, banned hydraulic fracturing as well as the opening of new oil and gas wells, making Monterey County the sixth in California to ban fracking.  The measure means a ban on fracking in San Ardo Fields, the 46th biggest oil fields in the country; as the two biggest companies drilling in the San Ardo Fields, Chevron and Aera undoubtedly have financial stakes in the measure.  In response to the lawsuits, the Monterey County Supreme Court issued a partial stay on Measure Z, allowing the opening of new wells despite the passing of the measure.  Proponents of Measure Z have claimed that it was necessary to ban fracking on a local level after Gov. Jerry Brown rejected a statewide ban on fracking.

Without any nationwide or statewide bans on fracking, Measure Z serves as Monterey County’s only form of protection against hydraulic fracturing.  Oil interests see the lawsuits as test cases for other bans involving oil extraction, making this case vital for opponents of fracking.  It seems clear that the EPA’s latest report on the dangers of fracking has had no effect on the Trump Administration’s plans so any bans on fracking must be done at a state or local level; if the Chevron and Aera’s lawsuits are able to stop the implementation of Measure Z, Monterey County will have to look to the state of California to ban fracking.