On February 23, Protect Monterey County gathered at the steps of the old court house in Salinas to announce the delivery of their notice of intent to circulate the petition: "Protect Our Water: Ban Fracking and Limit Risky Oil Operations Initiative." The group is now seeking signature gathering help to put the anti-fracking Initiative on the ballot in Monterey County for November 2016.

The initiative bans fracking, acidizing and other risky well stimulation treatments. These dangerous methods were used in 2008 to extract oil from the Monterey Shale Formation. It bans new wastewater injection wells and wastewater ponds and phases out existing wastewater injection wells and wastewater ponds.

New oil and gas wells within Monterey County are banned, because any new drilling would rely on high risk methods which endanger the local water, health and economy. The Initiative does not affect continued operation of the more than 1,500 existing oil and gas wells in Monterey County.

Read More: Help Gather Petition Signatures for the Monterey County Fracking Ban Initiative | Protect Our Water: Ban Fracking and Limit Risky Oil Operations Initiative | Protect Monterey County takes another step towards fracking ban | Protect Monterey County Website

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