Sacramento, CA — The state’s oil regulators have put in place new rules governing hydraulic oil fracturing.
Notable additions include that operators will need to start performing real-time seismic monitoring during oil fracturing, and they will also need to notify homeowners in both English and Spanish about their rights to get groundwater tested before and after a job.
The new rules take effect in January, and apply to oil fracturing on both land and in the ocean. Fracking is often criticized by environmental groups. The technique involves injecting water, sand and chemicals into deep rock formations to release oil or natural gas.