As California Governor Jerry Brown this week instituted the state's first-ever mandatory restrictions on water usage to combat its historic four-year drought, environmental activists are pointing out two glaring exemptions from the order: the fossil fuel and agriculture industries.
How can the frackers (who own the politicians) be assured of an adequate supply of water to meet their needs if water restrictions are not imposed on the citizens of California ?
California is the only oil state which does not have an extraction tax.
Fracking should be banned completely. And an oil tax should be large enough to subsidize the use and research of solar and wind energy.
These measures need to be put on the ballot, and brought to Democratic primaries.
Give up 1# of meat a month or a month of daily showers and save 1800 gallons of water.
You would really think by now that the good citizens of California would be using Governor “MoonBeam” as a community Pinata! It would be a great way of relieving community stress! By the way, try pounding six or seven, eight inch spikes through the barrel of the bat for better effect!
Great-GooGa-MooGa Batman . . . . What now?
Just remember folks . . . . We get exactly what we vote for.
If you thought our California politicians could not be bought and paid for you were just not paying attention. Where are the penalties for the wasted water for the corporations that paid for our last election?
Welcome to reality . . . . More to come in 2016.
Pay attention and listen to the money talking . . . . .
There are some statements here made by people who are most likely not Californians. For the record, I’m native, lived here all my life. I and all my friends are against fracking. But I am not against ag, although yes, there are big problems. I worked in the nursery (horticulture) industry here and let me assure everyone, if agriculture goes down the state goes down. We are an ag state, and give Brown some room on that one. The emergency should have been declared at least a year ago.
After the last drop of water has been injected into fracking wells, perhaps then people will discover that natural gas and oil will not slake their thirst.
Are you out of your (not normally) tiny, cotton-picking mind? Your state has no water - or will have none a year from now, but you still allow gas companies to pollute (that means make useless) billions of gallons of the precious liquid. And you underwrite the industry which is most responsible for GHG emissions - industrial agriculture.
What are you thinking?
Another angle to consider is that those of us engaged in organic urban agriculture will be harmed twice. Our water rates will go up and this will put us at an even greater disadvantage compared to agribusiness who won’t see any increase in its costs.
When I see a pan handler with a cigarette in his fingers I don’t think he needs my money any more than I do. When a state in the situation regarding water continues the incredibly activity of destroying the water they need to grow food and support life then I am reminded of those panhandlers and can find no sympathy in my heart. Water is life Petrolium is only money. Wake up you foul despoilers of the planet you are not going to get off this rock alive.
I concur , some folks not from California, or/and not living in California currently are exploiting others hardships for their own benifit and also have a short term memory span or are conveinent deniers.
On Tuesday, California regulators ordered a dozen oil and gas wells to cease production over concerns that the wells may be contaminating groundwater.
Oil companies Chevron Corp. and Linn Energy LLC voluntarily stopped production at 10 of the Central Valley wells, while the two other wells were given cease-and-desist orders. While there is no evidence of drinking water contamination yet, the wells are located within a mile of the surface and within 500 feet of a water supply.
Last year, the Federal Central Valley Project and the state water delivery system cut back and/or stopped delivering water. Last year, pumping restrictions were put in place for the first time ever.
Who cares who is to blame!? What difference does it make? My water bill will still go up even though I’m using buckets in the shower and for the dish water and flushing my toilet twice a day. I’m still getting used to the 5 minute shower. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to take a 2 minute “Navy Shower”. A 10 minute shower uses 60 gallons of water…peace out, Bob
I figured this was what would happen, before I read it today. Only the populations has to be restricted! The oil/gas frackers, and industry can still ruin the fresh water left. They should be required to use recycled sewer water, NOT fresh water, that then has chemicals/poisons added, and then injected into the water table. They have gotten special rules, from Bush/Cheney to not be responsible for the pollution or using massive amounts of water. We can not drink oil! But the elite, probably now or will own all water sources, or have it stored for them, as we do without, or pay high prices for a drink. I wonder IF the golf courses, pools and fountains, and huge landscaped yards, are under restriction, of the rich?
Yes, of course, we can transform our lives… but, it also has to change in a systemic way… from the top… systems change…
…but can we really afford to wait for those at the “top” to change? It doesn’t seem likely that that will happen before it’s far too late. But we can take our power back when we recognize that it is we as consumers who give all those at the top their $$ and power. By changing our consuming habits (i.e., consuming less animal products and less oil), and refusing to give our $ and power to these destructive industries, we take our power back, and we can take it back right now.
Where do you think the oil came from to make your computers? Where do you think the gas comes from to cook your food grown in California on industrial farms?
Do you really think everyone is going to build a back yard garden and heat their homes with solar panels within one year?
Meanwhile the population continues to grow. People continue to breed and shop, and then blame corporations, or the government.
The train has been heading for the wall for a long time, with much warning. Train… meet wall.
The fracking industry will thank you greatly for the 1800 gallons extra water allowance.
California is an agricultural state located in a desert and it’s running our of water. Scientists tell us that this drought can last for a long time. They call it a super drought…a mega drought…a hundred year drought. California agriculture is going to slam into reality very soon now. Maybe growing almonds (a gallon of water per almond) and rice for the Asian Markets is not such a good idea for California agriculture in this drought period. Maybe California should live in the real world.
This summer will be the tipping poiint.
