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AirTalk

Is fracking worth the risk in light of dismal forecasts for Monterey Shale oil yields?

By AirTalk Staff
Published May 23, 2014
Pump jacks and wells are seen in an oil field on the Monterey Shale formation where gas and oil extraction using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is on the verge of a boom on March 23, 2014 near McKittrick, California. Critics of fracking in California cite concerns over water usage and possible chemical pollution of ground water sources as California farmers are forced to leave unprecedented expanses of fields fallow in one of the worst droughts in California history. Concerns also include the possibility of earthquakes triggered by the fracking process which injects water, sand and various chemicals under high pressure into the ground to break the rock to release oil and gas for extraction though a well. The 800-mile-long San Andreas Fault runs north and south on the western side of the Monterey Formation in the Central Valley and is thought to be the most dangerous fault in the nation. Proponents of the fracking boom saying that the expansion of petroleum extraction is good for the economy and security by developing more domestic energy sources and increasing gas and oil exports. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Pump jacks and wells are seen in an oil field on the Monterey Shale formation where gas and oil extraction using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is on the verge of a boom on March 23, 2014 near McKittrick, California.
(
David McNew/Getty Images
)
Listen 16:35
Is fracking worth the risk in light of dismal forecasts for Monterey Shale oil yields?

Oil industry experts estimate that deep within the Monterey Shale, a land mass in California, there exists gargantuan amounts of oil.

But, how to access it, is what’s tough. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently released a report slashing the amount of “technically recoverable” oil by 96%.

This is the result of tectonic plate movement within the shale, leaving it in a jumble -- making it practically impossible to get at the oil with the kind of technology that exists today, like fracking, drilling, and hydraulic fracturing.

But, environmentalists say these oil extraction techniques can lead to health and environmental problems. In fact, State Senators Holly Mitchell (D) and Mark Leno (D) have introduced legislation that would impose a moratorium on fracking and well stimulation in California.

Is there good reason to innovate technology in order to access this unreachable oil? Or, might energies be better spent innovating ways to stop the US dependency on fossil fuels? Can anyone really know how much oil is in the Monterey anyway, accessibility aside?

Guests:

Damon Nagami, Senior Attorney and Director of the Southern California Ecosystems Project, Land & Wildlife Program, Natural Resources Defense Council.

Tupper Hull, Vice President of Strategic Communications at Western States Petroleum Association