Kern County Court Ruling Challenges California's Fracking Ban

A tentative ruling by a Kern County Superior Court Judge found that state regulators failed to follow the legally required process when imposing restrictions on fracking in Kern County. The judge described the prohibition on well stimulation treatments as an "invalid underground regulation" adopted without the required rulemaking. The ruling also challenged the state's environmental justification for the ban, stating the evidence did not support claims that it would curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The ruling could reopen the door to fracking in Kern County, offering oil producers hope of tapping massive reserves that have been restricted by the state ban. The judge argued that the permit denials were arbitrary because they rested on a climate-change rationale that was not the operative basis for the ban.