California U.S. Representative Lois Capps has asked for a moratorium on offshore fracking until there's more study. In a letter to the Interior Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week, Capps says she wants the federal government to conduct a study of fracking's impacts to the marine environment.
A recent report by the Associated Press documented at least a dozen instances of hydraulic fracturing in the Santa Barbara Channel, site of a disastrous 1969 oil platform blowout that spurred the modern environmental movement.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves injecting large amounts of water,sand, and chemicals into rock formations to recover oil.
Earlier this year, the California Coastal Commission launched an investigation into the extent of fracking in federal and state waters.
