Thursday, March 16, 2017

BLM Plans to Renew Oil Leasing on Central California Public Lands

Oil and gas drilling has been halted on federal lands in California during the past four years due to a successful legal action taken by the Center for Biological Diversity. Now the Trump administration wants to open up those areas to drilling again. Accordingly, the Bureau of Land Management is moving to allow oil development, including fracking, on land it manages in the Coast Range and Central Valley. The agency has been holding a series of public meetings for public comment on ITS revised resource management plan. Pacifica’s Vic Bedoian attended the hearing held in Coalinga and reports from Fresno.