Assembly member Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) and eight other California lawmakers are calling on the Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency to investigate reports of fracking (hydraulic fracturing) beneath the seabed floor off the California Coast. Assembly members Mark Stone, Marc Levine, Richard Bloom, Adrin Nazarian, Bob Wieckowski and Senators Fran Pavley, Noreen Evans and Hannah-Beth Jackson have signed on in support of Williams' letter to federal regulators.

The legislators are asking for a strict review and possible new regulations of fracking in the ocean - less than 8 months after the completion of a network of questionable state "marine protected areas" that fail to protect the ocean from fracking, oil drilling and spills, pollution, wind and wave energy projects, military testing and all human impacts other than sustainable fishing and gathering.

On August 3, it was reported that oil companies have used hydraulic fracturing at least a dozen times to “force open cracks beneath the seabed" in the Santa Barbara Channel. The Santa Barbara Channel was the site of the tragic 1969 oil spill that killed countless birds and marine life. “The fact that hydraulic fracturing is occurring off our California coast with little or no review is a frightening thought,” Williams said. “We, as residents and noble citizens, must stand together to call for greater scrutiny. We cannot take chances that could irreparably harm us all.”

Read More | See Also: Ocean fracking should be no surprise | Oil lobby leads California spending as ocean fracking proceeds | California Coastal Commission Urged to Protect Coast From Offshore Fracking | Lawsuit filed against fracking as oil lobbyist says it's 'safe' | Californians Oppose Expanded Fracking | Oil company wants to expand drilling as MPAs become effective | California's Fracking Regulatory Bill: Less Than Zero

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