The Monterrey Shale is a widespread geologic formation in California, and as elsewhere in the U.S., the oil/gas extractors are drooling over the prospects of sucking every wisp of methane and every drop of oil from it. However, to do so in this state they will need a colossal amount of water in a part of the country which never has enough of it. Currently they are agitating for multi billion dollar projects, at public expense, to supply them with the needed water, but the issue is still in doubt.
Recently, an impartial study found that the resource has been vastly overstated by industry alalysists. In fact, only 1/25 of their wild gestimation is actually there. If it is evenly distributed throughout the shale formation, it would scarcely be worth the cost of extracting, yet the suck-em-dry boosters are still pushing for their water projects. At this point, they know that we know that they know that there isn't much of a resource down there, yet they persist. This brings up some unanswered questions.
Since most of the Monterrey is near or even under the Pacific Ocean, is there any cogent reason why the extractors could not use sea water for fracking? Expect a lot of sputtering, bluster, and red faces if they are forced to answer this.
Second, if the resource is actually minute, why are they persisting in pushing through projects (built at public expense) so that they can be presented with millions of gallons of fresh water (a scarce, public resource)?
I suggest that it is not the gas nor the oil that these grasping types are after -- it is the water itself.
Most people don't think of California as a desert state, but except for the North Coastal region, it definitely is. Most of the state is habitable and suitable for agriculture, our greatest industry, only because of imported water. Whoever controls that water is a demigod. The oil and gas crowd is drooling to assume this position in a state where water is a necessary and scarce resource. If you think people are quick to fight over oil, wait till you see how they fight over water. We could probably learn to live successfully without most of the oil and gas we now use, but never the water.
To sum up: this particular petrochemical resource is in fact negligible; they only want the water. They need to know that this vital public resource, the essence of life in this part of the country, will not go to them.
10:07 AM PT: PS: The poll is for all Kossacks, not just Califorinans. The issue is not just ours.