Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/63937
MAY NEWS Does Fracking Threaten Winery Water Supplies? potential threat to California's water has eluded attention from the wine industry. S acramento, Calif.—Among many issues of concern to California's vast and valuable wine industry, water ranks in the top tier, and one Hydraulic fracturing, better known as "fracking," is a procedure used by petro- leum companies to lubricate drilling for gas and oil. The Environmental Working Group released a 20-page report about California's state policy concerning fracking. The report, "California Regulators: See No Fracking, Speak No Fracking," focuses on the state Department of Conservation's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Re- sources (DOGGR). Although DOGGR nominally regulates fracking, it seems to have no enforcement capability. EWG reported that in 2011, California state Sen. Fran Pavley, who represents a district that stretches from downtown Los Angeles west to Oxnard, wrote to the su- pervisor of DOGGR requesting basic infor- mation about frack- ing in California. In its response, the division could not offer any information on water use, a permit process, safety data or any regulations specific to hy- draulic fracturing. winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "fracking water." "We're concerned about millions of gallons (of water) used by fracking. We don't have millions to give." —Jim Fiolek, executive director, Santa Barbara County Vintners Association Your Wine Here Water used in the fracking process con- tains potentially hazardous chemicals. According to the EWG report, "Among them are 10 chemicals known under Cali- fornia's Proposition 65 (the Safe Drink- ing Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986) to cause cancer and/or reproductive harm." According to the EWG report, the state does not track or regulate the types of chemicals being used, nor companies' methods for disposal. Bill Allayaud, co-author of the report, told Mendocino County grapes produce award winning wines. Please visit our Grape Marketplace at www.mendowine.com 24 Wines & Vines MAY 2012 Wines & Vines that so far oil and gas com- panies have successfully argued that their formulas are protected as "trade secrets." According to the EWG report: "Represen- tatives of Halliburton told EWG research- ers that they estimate that 50%-60% of new oil wells in Kern County—the major oil-producing county—are being hydrauli- cally fractured. According to the 2009 an- nual report of the Division of Oil and Gas, 1,527 new wells were drilled that year in the county's five most productive oil fields. To read the report, visit static.ewg.org. —Jane Firstenfeld