Friday, June 10, 2016

State Seeks Increased Oil Wastewater Injection into Aquifers

State Oil and Gas regulators announced a plan this expand the injection of oil wastewater into additional aquifers, even after the state violated the federal Safe Drinking Water Act by allowing groundwater contamination in the Central Valley by oil wastewater disposal. The plan to allow wastewater injection wells in the aquifers of six counties comes from the state’s Division of Oil Gas and Geothermal Resources. That agency has been under fire by environmental groups and state legislators for its lax enforcement of the petroleum industry. Vic Bedoian reports from Fresno.