Fracking moratoriums and bans

Due to the highly contentious nature of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, calls for bans or at least severe limits on fracking are fairly common. These measures are frequently considered at the community, municipality, or county level, though states/provinces and nations have also proposed moratoriums or bans. A moratorium is a temporary freezing of new permit applications in order to give legislatures, gas operators, or regulatory bodies time to clarify, fix, prove, or decide something. Sometimes, a moratorium may lead to a ban, which is a more permanent freeze on permit application and renewal.

Some examples of passed moratoriums include Los Angeles^[1] and several smaller communities in Colorado.^[2] In the Marcellus Shale, New York State has a political history fraught with moratoriums and bans alike, whereas Pennsylvania is, on the whole, unrestricted. To see more, check the tables below. There have also been proposed instances for moratoriums on larger scales (state/national) that have failed, including California and Spain.

Marcellus Shale Measures

New York

The State of New York is one of the few that has successfully passed a statewide hydraulic fracturing moratorium, on grounds of requiring environmental impact review on December 13, 2010. This moratorium lasted for roughly 6 months, until June 1, 2011.^[3]

To see local-level NY moratoriums and bans on the Marcellus and Utica shales, click "show" on the tables below.

Enacted Local Fracking Moratoriums in NY
Locality	County (NY)	Year enacted	Duration in months (0 if unspecified)	Link to document (if available)
Little Falls	Herkimer	2012	12	link
Rochester	Monroe	2013	12	link
Binghamton	Broome	2011	0	link
Boonville	Oneida		0
Florence	Oneida		0
Ava	Oneida	2012	12	link
Annsville	Oneida	2012	12	link
Verona	Oneida	2012	12	link
Forestport	Oneida	2011	0
Steuben	Oneida		0
Camden	Oneida		0
Remsen	Oneida	2011	12	link
Huron	Wayne	2012	12	link
Floyd	Oneida		0
Trenton	Oneida	2012	12	link
Deerfield	Oneida	2013	6	link
Penfield	Monroe	2012	12	link
Vienna	Oneida	2012	12	link
Westmoreland	Oneida	2013	12	link
Newport	Herkimer	2012	12	link
Manheim	Herkimer	2011	12	link
Whitestown	Oneida	2012	12	link
Oppenheim	Fulton	2012	12	link
Lenox	Madison	2012	12	link
Vernon	Oneida	2013	12	link
Stafford	Genesee	2012	12	link
Caledonia	Livingston	2012	12	link
Danube	Herkimer	2013	0	link
Sennett	Cayuga	2012	9	link
Lincoln	Madison	2012	12	link
Kirkland	Oneida	2012	12	link
Minden	Montgomery	2012	12	link
St Johnsville	Montgomery	2012	12	link
Manchester	Ontario	2012	12	link
West Bloomfield	Ontario	2011	18	link
Hopewell	Ontario	2012	12	link
Avon	Livingston	2014	12	link
Richmond	Ontario	2012	12	link
Bristol	Ontario	2012	12	link
Brookfield	Madison	2012	12	link
Eaton	Madison	2012	12	link
Sangerfield	Oneida	2012	12	link
Waterloo	Seneca	2012	12	link
Palatine	Montgomery	2012	12	link
Mount Morris	Livingston		0
Livonia	Livingston	2011	12	link
Starkey	Yates	2013	12	link
Wayne	Steuben	2012	12	link
Lansing	Tompkins	2013	12	link
Burns	Allegany		0
Newfield	Tompkins	2013	12	link
Otego	Otsego	2013	12	link
Niskayuna	Schenectady	2012	36	link
Fabius	Onondaga	2012	12	link
Tully	Onondaga	2010	9	link
Sharon	Schoharie	2011	0	link
Gorham	Ontario	2010	12	link
Middlesex	Yates	2012	6	link
South Bristol	Ontario	2012	12	link
Ledyard	Cayuga	2012	12	link
Schoharie	Schoharie	2012	0	link
Colden	Erie	2013	12	link
Seward	Schoharie	2012	12	link
Torrey	Yates	2012	12	link
Locke	Cayuga	2012	24	link
Hartwick	Otsego	2013	8
Benton	Yates	2012	12	link
Genoa	Cayuga	2013	12	link
Milo	Yates	2011	12	link
Berne	Albany	2013	6
Naples	Ontario	2012	6	link
Portage	Livingston	2012	12	link
Richmondville	Schoharie		0
Yorkshire	Cattaraugus	2012	12	link
Nunda	Livingston		0
Sparta	Livingston		0
North Dansville	Livingston		0
Middleburgh	Schoharie	2013	12	link
Cortlandville	Cortland	2012	12	link
Barrington	Yates	2011	12	link
Westerlo	Albany	2012	12	link
Rensselaerville	Albany	2012	12	link
Sidney	Delaware		0
Alfred	Allegany	2012	12	link
Taghkanic	Columbia	2013	18	link
Copake	Columbia	2012	18	link
Germantown	Columbia	2012	18	link
Chester	Orange	2013	0	link
Naples Village	Ontario	2011	12	link
Lima	Livingston	2012	12	link
Geneseo	Livingston	2012	12	link
Conesus	Livingston	2013	12	link
Springwater	Livingston	2012	12	link
Dolgeville	Herkimer	2012	12
St Johnsville	Montgomerfy	2012	12	link
Moravia	Cayuga		0
Clinton	Oneida		0
Owego	Tioga	2012	12	link
Sharon Springs	Schoharie	2011	12	link
Whitesboro	Oneida	2011	6	link
Alfred	Allegany		0	link

Enacted Local Fracking Bans in NY
Locality	County (NY)	Year enacted	Duration in months (0 if not specified)	Link to documents (if available)
Syracuse	Onondaga	2011	0	link
Utica	Oneida	2013	0	link
Rome	Oneida	2011	0	link
Niagara Falls	Niagara	2012	0	link
Buffalo	Erie		0
Canandaigua	Ontario	2014	0
Geneva	Ontario		0
Albany	Albany		0	link
Dunkirk	Chautauqua	2014	0	link
Oneonta	Otsego		0	link
Hudson	Columbia	2013	0	link
Beacon	Dutchess	2012	0	link
Brighton	Monroe	2011	12	link
Perinton	Monroe	2012	0	link
Rush	Monroe	2013	6	link
New Hartford	Oneida	2011	6	link
De Witt	Onondaga		0	link
Elbridge	Onondaga		0
Camillus	Onondaga	2011	0	link
Augusta	Oneida	2011	6	link
Marcellus	Onondaga	2010	6
Mendon	Monroe	2013	0
Pompey	Onondaga	2012	12	link
Paris	Oneida	2012	0
Onondaga	Onondaga	2010	0	link
Canandaigua	Ontario	2014	0
Skaneateles	Onondaga	2012	0	link
La Fayette	Onondaga	2012	9	link
Otisco	Onondaga	2010	6	link
Spafford	Onondaga	2012	12	link
Springfield	Otsego	2011	0	link
Plainfield	Otsego	2011	0	link
Marshall	Oneida	2011	12
Geneva	Ontario		0	link
Niles	Cayuga	2012	12	link
Blenheim	Schoharie	2012	0	link
Oneonta	Otsego	2014	12	link
Dryden	Tompkins		0
Enfield	Tompkins		0	link
Scipio	Cayuga	2012	0	link
Wales	Erie	2011	0	link
Cherry Valley	Otsego	2011	0	link
Preble	Cortland	2014	0	link
Roseboom	Otsego	2012	0	link
Middlefield	Otsego		0	link
Moravia	Cayuga	2012	12	link
Guilderland	Albany	2012	0	link
Summerhill	Cayuga	2012	0	link
Otsego	Otsego		0
New Lisbon	Otsego	2011	0	link
Jerusalem	Yates	2012	0	link
Fulton	Schoharie		0
Milford	Otsego		0
Ulysses	Tompkins	2011	0	link
Ithaca	Tompkins	2011	0	link
Butternuts	Otsego	2013	0
Meredith	Delaware	2013	0
Caroline	Tompkins		0
Danby	Tompkins	2011	0	link
Livingston	Columbia	2013	0
Andes	Delaware	2012	6	link
Woodstock	Ulster	2012	0	link
Olive	Ulster	2012	12	link
Red Hook	Dutchess	2013	0	link
Marbletown	Ulster	2012	0	link
Rosendale	Ulster	2012	0	link
Bethel	Sullivan	2012	0	link
New Paltz	Ulster	2011	0	link
Wawarsing	Ulster	2012	0	link
Tusten	Sullivan		0	link
Highland	Sullivan	2012	0	link
Lumberland	Sullivan	2010	0	link
Forestburgh	Sullivan		0	link
Warwick	Orange	2013	0	link
Wilson	Niagara	2012	0	link
Rochester	Ulster	2012	0	link
Oxford	Chenango		0

^[4]

Pennsylvania

^[4]

West Virginia

Locality County (WV) Year enacted Duration in months (0 if unspecified) Link to document (if available) Type

Wellsburg Herkimer 2011 Unspecified when enacted, repealed 3 months later link Ban

Pocahontas County Free Libraries Pocahontas 2011 0 link Moratorium

Morgantown Monongalia 2011 Unspecified when enacted, overturned 2 months later link Ban

Lewisburg

Greenbrier

2011

0

link

Moratorium

}} ^[4]

Ohio

^[4]

California Moratorium Failure

The Governor of California, Jerry Brown supported fracking policies, however, his democratic party was in opposition. The protests, and events surrounding the democratic state convention, and mic-check, highlight the attempts to protest the Governor’s lack of response to the anti-fracking concerns. The protest attempts were unsuccessful, as of May 2014.^[5]

Fractivists, and other democratic parties took the initiative to protest the blatant lack of response from Governors, regarding the concerns surrounding fracking. These protesting parties leveraged the fact that governor could be replaced when reelection time came again. In terms of attempting to get Governor Jerry Brown’s attention, some of the following methods were utilized:

Petitions
bird dogging
rallies
100 public comments
300 000 total petition
phone calls
e-mails
a letter sent to him by 20 of the nation’s top climate scientists
letter from his former advisers^[6]

However, the events surrounding the Democratic State Convention were most highlighted and impactful.

Democratic State Convention: The Environmental Causus on March 7th, 2014

Ideas to protesting fracking, specific to the Democratic State Convention included:

“Occupy the general session”
“A massive sit-in”^[6]
“An indoor march and rally”^[6]
passing out “No Fracking” stickers”^[6]
pre-convention rally
holding up signs during the speech
E-mails sent among the democratic party, highlighting concerns and opinions about protesting fracking during the convention:
- E-mail #1: emphasized that the democratic party’s protests are not disrespectful, but that Jerry Brown himself had been disrespectful first by ignoring the demands of his party and the majority of the Californian people
- E-mail #2: emphasized the importance of standing up for what is right. In this case, environmental protection
- E-mail #3: emphasized the need to speak out against the Governor

Regardless of the opposing stance on fracking, people wanted to protect in a peaceful and respectful manner. Despite only a few delegates agreeing to take vocal stance, speeches were delivered by the following personnel:

Speaker	Title	Position on Fracking
Eric Bauman	Vice Chairman of State Party	Against fracking
Betty Yee	Candidate for State Controller	Extremely strong stance against fracking; recognizes the harms it has had on communities; believed moratorium was needed immediately
Derek Cressman	Candidate for Secretary of State	Extremely strong stance against fracking, supports moratorium and ban against fracking. Has openly and strongly stated his position.
Mike McGuire	Candidate for State Senate, SD2	Against fracking
Brian Caples	Candidate for State Assembly, AD6	Against fracking
John Perez	Candidate for State Controller	Not an outright supporter for the fracking moratorium
Leeland Yee		Gave weak argument against fracking. Believes it could be carried out safely
Alex Padilla		Did not clearly state his position on fracking, although there is belief he supports fracking

The results of the convention included the resolution for 100% renewable energy in California to be passed with unanimous support

Democratic State Convention: The Governor’s speech on March 8th, 2014

A rally took place to further protest fracking. Delegates were prevented from bringing signs to protest, violating their first amendement rights. However, delegates that continued attempting to bring in signs almost got arrested. Those delegates included: Eric Bauman, and others. Hearing that the Vice Chair of the California Democratic Party nearly got arrested, John Burton, chair of the CDP allowed the delegates to bring in the signs. During Governor Brown’s speech, he was interrupted with 100 protestors holding anti-fracking signs and increasing chanting, this idea was known as the “mic-check”^[6] and was successful in heckling Jerry Brown during his keynote speech at the convention by his own party members. The mic check included the following: “The first person would talk about the hypocrisy of a "Climate Leader" with a pro-fracking agenda. Once he was removed from the room, the second delegate would rise and continue the mic-check. Once he was removed from the room, another delegate would jump in, etc. This domino-like mic-check would continue until all interested delegates were removed.”^[6] Other events protesting fracking, following the Convention and Rally included the March 15th rally in Sacramento, California. Fractivists came from places such as San Diego, Oregon, Colorado, Ohio, New York, etc. Media coverage was done by: CBS, ABC, and FOX 40.

References

[1] ttp://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/02/28/city-council-to-vote-on-la-fracking-moratorium/

[2] ttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/06/colorado-anti-fracking-_n_4226712.html

[3] ttp://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/Frack_Actions_NewYorkState.pdf

[watch-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 "Local Actions Against Fracking". Food & Water Watch. Retrieved 06/30/2014. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)Category:CS1 errors: dates

[5] ttp://rt.com/usa/162616-california-senate-kills-fracking-ban/

[kos-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 ^6.4 ^6.5 http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/19/1284938/-The-California-Frack-Wars-Episode-IV-A-New-Hope#

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