Summary: FRACKING ON THE MONTEREY SHALE. A federal judge in California recently ruled that authorities broke the law when they leased 2,700 acres of public land in Monterey and Fresno counties to oil and gas drillers without considering the environmental impact. Fracking uses huge volumes of water, sand and toxic chemicals to blast open rock to extract oil and gas. Some proponents of the practice say it will create more jobs for local communities. Many residents who live near areas where fracking is already occurring are deeply concerned about the possible groundwater contamination and health effects. Guests: Lupe Martínez, Assistant Director, Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment, Delano, CA, www.crpe-ej.org ; Javier Sierra, Spokesperson, Sierra Club, Arlington, VA, www.sierraclub.org
