Bay Area County Snubs Fossil Fuel Industry, Finalizes Fracking Ban

By Yessenia Funes Aug 03, 2016

Yesterday (Aug. 2), Alameda County, California, finalized its fracking ban, the first in the Bay Area. The county’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to pass the Zoning Ordinance Amendment July 19, but this second unanimous vote solidifies it. The ban will take effect in 30 days.

According to the Sunflower Alliance, an environmental justice organization in the Bay Area:

The Board of Supervisors has requested that county staff bring them more information on water injection and water flood well enhancement in the near future. Further deliberation might require adjustment of the ordinance to tighten up any loopholes.

So far, the county—which is 71.3 percent people of color—has stayed clear of drilling, but groups like the Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch are taking preventative measures, especially because Gov. Jerry Brown rejects a statewide ban on the extractive process.

Alameda is the fifth county in California to prohibit fracking, joining Butte, Mendocino, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.