California to stop issuing fracking permits by 2024

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) directed the state to  stop issuing new fracking permits by January 2024. 

He has also asked the state to look for ways to phase out oil extraction across the state entirely by 2045, according to a statement from his office.

“The climate crisis is real, and we continue to see the signs every day,” Newsom said in a statement. “As we move to swiftly decarbonize our transportation sector and create a healthier future for our children, I’ve made it clear I don’t see a role for fracking in that future and, similarly, believe that California needs to move beyond oil.”

A spokesperson for the California Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management told The Hill that this will apply to state, federal and private lands. 

Fracking is a controversial method of getting oil and gas out of rocks and has been linked to water contamination and other impacts.

Newsom’s move comes after a closely watched bill that aimed to halt the issuance of fracking permits at the start of 2022 and ban it entirely at the start of 2027 died in the state legislature.

California has recently taken the lead on other environmental issues, setting the goal of phasing out the sale of gas-powered passenger cars and trucks statewide by 2035 and ending the sale of gas-powered medium- and heavy-duty trucks by 2045. 

Some environmentalists had mixed reactions to the news, saying they were pleased that Newsom was taking action but also saying he should go further. 

“Governor Newsom acknowledging the need to phase out and gas extraction in California is a win for Californians,” acting Sierra Club California Director Brandon Dawson said in a statement. “However, the statement today falls short of a mandate … and glaringly absent from the order: a statewide setback rule.”