Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Federal Government Opening Door To New Onshore Oil And Gas Projects On Central, South Coasts

The Trump Administration is proposing to open more than a million acres of publically controlled land on California to oil and gas fracking, something which could affect some federal land on the Central and South Coasts.

The Bureau of Land Management issued a call for comments on the proposal, a step which starts the process.

It involves land in eight California counties, including Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

Some environmental groups sued the federal government a few years ago over fracking and drilling proposals on the land, claiming that the plan at the time failed to adequately examine potential negative impacts. The groups won the fight, with the BLM agreeing to do a new analysis of environmental impacts.

The new proposal could lead to an end of a five year freeze on new leases or fracking on the federally controlled land.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
Related Stories