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Sb 4 Well Stimulation Treatment Regulations Public Comment Summary and Response SB 4 WELL STIMULATION TREATMENT REGULATIONS PUBLIC COMMENT SUMMARY AND RESPONSE Public Comment Period: November 15, 2013 through January 14, 2014 Public Comment Hearings: Sacramento – January 6, 2014 Long Beach – January 6, 2014 Salinas – January 8, 2014 Bakersfield – January 8, 2014 Santa Maria – January 13, 2014 Numeric codes at the beginning of each comment summary can be used to locate the summarized comment in the marked-up version of the written comment submission or transcript of public hearing. Ban 0127-1, 0111-1, 0087-3, 0097, 0077-1, 0104-1, 0058-2, 0044-1, 0002-1, 0123-23, 0125-1, 0137- 1 1, 0097-1, 0118-1, 0140-1, 0075-1, 0142-1, 0109-1, 0145-1, 0059-1, 0117-2, 0081-1, 0194-1, 0155-1, 0303-1, 0291-1, 0203-1, 0272-2, 0244-1, 0329-1, 0150-2, 0292-2, 0201-1, 0310-1, 0090- 4, 0226-1, 0175-1, 0322-1, 0223-1, 0199-1, 0334-1, 0309-1, 4155-1, 4158-1, 4159-1, 4167-4, 4238-1, 4258-1, 4261-1, 4265-12, 4266-1, 4267-1, 4222-1, 4595-1, 0103-17, 4095-1, 4096-1, 4104-1, 4105-1, 4106-2, 4108-1, 0134-1, 4109-3, 4118-1, 4119-1, 4121-1, 4123-1, 4126-3, 4127- 4, 4134-1, 4232-1, 4269-1, 4273-1, 4275-1, 0313-1, 4282-2, 0124-5, 0204-1, 0266-1, 0305-1, 0151-1, 0263-1, 0323-1, 0252-1, 0277-1, 0234-1, 0158-1, 0218-1, 0328-1, 0239-1, 0294-5, 0262- 1, 0168-1, 0236-1, 0300-1, 0256-1, 0308-1, 0318-1, 0315-1, 0301-1, 0342-1, 0198-1, 0320-1, 0286-1, 0188-1, 0193-1, 0242-1, 0246-1, 0179-1, 0212-1, 0324-1, 0316-1, 0200-1, 0273-1, 0190- 1, 0233-1, 0260-1, 0241-1, 0304-1, 0241-1, 0311-1, 0254-1, 0260-2, 0340-1, 0253-1, 0313-1, 4298-1, 4299-1, 4300-2, 4302-2, 4303-1, 4304-2, 4307-1, 4308-1, 4309-2, 4310-1, 4545-1, 4156- 4, 4177-15, 4224-3 Ban all fracking and acidization operations from occurring in our State. 0025-10, 4210-1, 4220-1, 4103, 4297-1, 4115-1, 4125-1, 4132-1, 4135-1, 4136-1, 4137-1, 4140- 2 1, 4141-2, 4274-1, 4276-1, 4279-4, 4281-1, 4282-2, 4286-7, 0124-1, 0124-2, 4301-1, 0174-5 Because hydraulic fracturing and other forms of well stimulation are inherently risky activities that endanger public health and safety and the environment, no amount of regulation, short of an outright prohibition, can adequately protect the public. The proposed well stimulation regulations put forth by the Division fall far short of protecting the public. They do not prohibit the use of toxic chemicals—they require only that such chemicals be disclosed. They do not prevent water contamination—only that such contamination is monitored and reported. They do nothing to protect the public from harmful air pollution. The regulations actually facilitate an increase in unconventional oil and gas production, thereby adding to the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, and threaten to reverse any progress the state makes toward reducing carbon emissions so far. 1 4277-1 3 For the sake of our children and their future, ban fracking. 0219-5, 0264-6 4 Local bans must be honored and preempted by DOGGR. 4153-1, 4231-1 5 Ban fracking and do the fracture later, if at all. 4142-1 6 We need strong leaders that will ban fracking. 4143-1 7 Because of global warming we should not extract more oil and we should not allow fracking. 4167-2 8 Just because there are rules that would allow fracking to be done legally doesn't mean that it would be right for humans. 4174-1 9 Dropped off signatures of 165 people who are against fracking. 4241-12 10 The regulations made clear once again that the best way to protect California's community, wildlife, and our climate is to prohibit fracking as other states and counties have already done. 4305-1 11 I would like more regulatory guidelines against fracking or to ban this negative operation. This process is subject to earthquakes and contamination to the water and soil. 4306-1 12 Fracking should be banned for exploring unconventional sources of fossil fuels will result in even more excess CO2, increasing global warming. We need WWS renewable energy. Fracking pollutes the water and land, damaging our ecosystems. 4441-1, 4445-1, 4447-1, 4473-1, 4474-1, 4497-1, 4498-1, 4511-1, 4514-1, 4532-1, 4534-1, 4548- 13 1, 4575-1, 4576-1, 4578-1, 4430-2, 4440-1, 4445-1, 4506-1, 0174-1, 0230-3, 0326-2, 0276-3, 0090-5 They only safe way forward for California is a ban on fracking, acidization and other dangerous well stimulation processes. Fracking is tied to air and water pollution and releases huge volumes of methane, a dangerously potent greenhouse gas. New fracking and acidization technologies are opening up huge new sources of dirty oil in California’s Monterey Shale formation to extraction and combustion. These regulations fall far short of protecting California’s air, water, wildlife, climate and communities. The regulations do address the large increase in deadly air pollutants like particulate matter, ozone and air toxics that will accompany a fracking boom. The Central Valley and the Los Angeles Basin, where industry is poised for a massive expansion of drilling, already suffer from the worst air quality in the nation. The regulations attempt to rubber- stamp and fast -track multiple well stimulation jobs with a single approval and without adequately studying the impact of each frack job. The regulations do not clearly provide for full disclosure of all environmental and health risks and public participation prior to the approval of a permit to frack, as required by existing law. The regulations place the burden on nearby residents of fracked wells to request baseline water testing and attempt to improperly and unjustly restrict the right to obtain baseline water testing to property owners and tenants with a written lease. Finally, these regulations will do nothing to reduce the climate impacts of extracting and burning up to 15 2 billion barrels of dirty oil. Fracking and other extreme oil and gas extraction techniques disrupt the climate and harm California's efforts to be a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 4571-1 14 I oppose regulations that would permit fracking in California. The proposed regulations essentially allow the industry to define the terms of the debate. Most reputable climate scientists do not believe that fracking is safe under any circumstances, much less those that permit the industry to do so. Fracking should be banned until scientific study shows it to be environmentally safe, rather than permitted (however regulated) until science proves how badly it’s fracked us up. 15 4191-3 Ban fracking until an EIR has been made. Moratorium 0088-2, 0074-2, 0127-2, 0084-2, 0087-1, 0057-1, 0135-1, 0072-2, 0123-5, 0125-1, 0126-1, 0089- 16 2, 0101-2, 0128-2, 0062-1, 0120-3, 0064-1, 0108-2, 0129-1, 0092-1, 0116-1, 0107-1, 0067-1, 0076-1, 0143-2, 0086-1, 0105-2, 0073-2, 0119-1, 0131-1, 0095-1, 0110-1, 0069-1, 0114-2, 0147- 1, 0133-6, 0099-2, 0068-2, 0061-1, 0071-2, 0183-2, 0053-2, 0049-2, 0045-1, 0002-3, 0251-1, 0276-2, 0230-2, 0195-3, 0284-3, 0249-3, 0302-2, 0299-1, 0329-2, 0079-1, 0135-2, 0022-4, 0243- 1, 4066-6, 4069-22, 0269-1, 0336-1, 0267-2, 0235-1, 0321-1, 0326-1, 0216-1, 0162-1, 0274-1, 4156-3, 4157-1, 4165-7, 0336-1, 0267-2, 4252-8, 0021-17, 4196-3, 4198-1, 4199-1, 4207-1, 4208-6, 4210-2, 4066-3, 4212-2, 4213-1, 4214-1, 4214-8, 4218-1, 4229-1, 4230-1, 4099-1, 4139- 2, 4268-1, 0313-4, 4192-2, 4288-1, 4291-1, 0280-7, 0170-1, 0219-6, 0231-1, 0269-1, 0278-2, 0163-1, 02-1, 0297-1, 0174-1, 0271-2, 0205-1, 0220-1, 0166-1, 0182-1, 0259-1, 0245-1, 0161-1, 0261-1, 0156-1, 0282-1, 0289-1, 0206-1, 0217-1, 0171-1, 0258-1, 0339-1, 0248-1, 0240-1, 0264- 7, 0221-1, 0327-1, 4511-3, 4203 There should be a moratorium on all fracking activities until the scientific study mandated by SB4 is completed, all known risks have been identified, the environmental and health impacts are fully understood, until CO2 drops to a scientifically justifiable safe level, the materials and procedures are completely disclosed, monitored and proven to be 100% safe, CA is out of drought and it’s reservoirs are filled again. 0124-3, 0124-4 17 Before moving forward, the State must consider climate change, public health issues, chemicals used in fracking: benzene, formaldehyde, silica, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, hydrogen fluoride, waste water injection, and earthquakes. Also, the following needs to be considered: The maximum possible magnitude that can reached by quakes induced by fracking or wastewater injection. The maximum distance from which fracking or wastewater injection could induce a quake. Why some frack jobs and wastewater injection wells induce quakes, and others not. How long the risk of a quake persists after a frack job or wastewater injection occurs.
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