When California Governor Gavin Newsom was first elected, environmental activists demanded that he ban fracking. At first, he demurred, telling them last September he didn't have the authority to take such a step but he would try to get such a bill passed by the California legislature. When that failed in the state senate due to opposition from unions and the oil industry, Newsom suddenly decided, Gee Whiz, I guess I have the authority after all. Beginning in 2024, his office announced yesterday, the state will stop issuing fracking permits and ban oil extraction entirely by 2045.
This isn't Newsom's first attempt to change California's energy mix. Previous efforts by him to shift from fossil fuels to non-renewables resulted in rolling blackouts all over the state last summer when California was hit by an intense heatwave. Newsom subsequently apologized for the blackouts, conceding that his administration hadn't adequately considered the consequences of moving away so fast from fossil fuels.
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