Local Democrats taking fracking issue to State delegation

On April 11 an article in the VC Star by Tim Herdt stated:

"RL Miller, co-president of the Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley, is running for the chairmanship of the state party’s Environmental Caucus" 

"delegates also will consider resolutions to state the party’s position on topical political issues. Among the most contentious could be the issue of hydraulic fracturing, the oil industry’s new drilling technique that has spawned environmental concerns across the country."

"Miller is a leader in an effort to push for adoption of a strong resolution that would call for a moratorium on fracking in California. If advocates are unable to secure the support of the Resolutions Committee, Miller said they intend to seek a vote of the entire delegation on Sunday."

“We are going up there seeking an open-ended moratorium and we are not going to back down,” she said.

If passed, such a resolution would be at odds with positions held by top Democratic elected officials in Sacramento. Gov. Jerry Brown and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg have both made clear they do not support a moratorium."

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/11/state-democrats-head-to-convention-with-much-to/?partner=popular#ixzz2QMAbN7jR 
- vcstar.com 

On March 5, 2013 the Ventura County Democrats released a statement saying they had passed a resolution to "halt fracking". 

Here is the statement: 

Resolution to Halt “Fracking” Passes
 
Camarillo, Calif., March 5, 2013—The Ventura County Democratic Party passed, on a near-unanimous voice vote, a resolution calling for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (known as “fracking”) within the state of California until legislation and regulations that guarantee public health and safety are enacted, and climate change impacts are addressed.
 
Fracking is facing increasing scrutiny in California from oil companies seeing a new “black gold” (or new fossil fuel source); from environmentalists worried about impacts to land, water, and air; and from legislators seeking to allay citizen concerns.
 
“The climate impacts of fracking - which cannot be addressed by regulation - are most worrisome,” said RL Miller, board member of the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee and author of the resolution. “Fracking California's 15 billion barrels of oil easily available through new techniques has the same climate impact as delaying California's global warming law for 80 years, and it's nearly as bad for the climate as the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.”
 
So far, three Ventura County legislators have introduced bills seeking to regulate fracking. The County Democratic Party passed the resolution in the hope that legislators will see it as exemplifying the will of their constituents to not just regulatefracking, but to place a moratorium on the practice. Further, the resolution urges the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to find a way to protect their citizens from potentially dangerous practices.
 
This is one of three resolutions passed by the Ventura County Central Committee. The other two are a resolution calling for public fund divestment from fossil fuel companies, andcomprehensive immigration reform.
 
Below is the resolution in its entirety:
 
RESOLUTION - MORATORIUM ON HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
 
WHEREAS, hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking,” is a technique that injects water, sand, and toxic chemicals at high pressure deep into the ground, often traveling horizontally, to extract oil or gas from shale or other dense rock;
 
WHEREAS, fracking uses large amounts of water, thus reducing its availability for agriculture and other public use; uses chemicals that can contaminate the water supply and can cause cancer; creates wastewater that can bring deep earth contaminants to the surface; releases methane gas that exacerbates climate change and pollutes the air with asthma-causing smog; can induce earthquakes; and continues our dependence on fossil fuels;
 
WHEREAS, fracking is currently exempt from regulation under the Safe Water Drinking Act and is not yet regulated in California, and as a result the chemicals are treated as trade secrets and location of fracked wells is not made public;
 
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Ventura County Democratic Party supports an immediate moratorium on frackingwith such a moratorium to remain in place until (a) legislation, ordinances, and regulations are put in place that guarantee public health and safety, and address the impacts of climate change; (b) immediate testing and disclosure of all sites currently being fracked or that have been fracked in the past; and c) substitution of renewable energy wherever feasible;
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Ventura County Democratic Party send a copy of this resolution to the Governor of the State of California, United States Senators representing California, Members of Congress representing any part of VenturaCounty, members of the state senate and state assembly representing any part of Ventura County, and all members of theVentura County Board of Supervisors, asking them to take action.