Re “Mitchell’s Fracking Moratorium Bill Is Advancing – Backers Encouraged”
[Editor’s Note: On Tuesday evening at 7, anti-fracking activists will assemble at the Holman United Methodist Church, 3320 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles 90018, in support of state Assemblyperson Holly Mitchell’s fracking moratorium bill.]
Culver City activist Paul Ferrazzi has been asked the question so frequently that he doesn’t have to pause for a comma, or a fire truck, before responding.
Is there a realistic chance of winning a fracking moratorium in his hometown or the state?
“I would hope so,” Mr. Ferrazzi said in his moderately paced low voice.
“We are all at risk if there isn’t a moratorium.”
The co-founder of Citizens Coalition for a Safe Community was listed here in a Monday report as a major enthusiast for the fracking moratorium bill that state Assemblyperson Holly Mitchell (D-Culver City) is shepherding through the lower chamber of Legislature in Sacramento.
Often seen with a camera in hand, Mr. Ferrazzi is more cognizant than 99 percent of Westsiders which vulnerable areas are most imperiled by the threats he believes are inherent in hydraulic fracturing.
Recently he shot a video of ground movement espied on the property of Windsor Hills Elementary School, for example. “There used to be a small crack in the asphalt that eventually will get larger,” Mr. Ferrazzi said. “It really has grown, and it looks to me as if there is potential for a landslide if not an earthquake.”
Shortly, the conversation segued to last month’s visit of Douglas Shields, a successful Pittsburgh-based anti-fracking consultant.
Mr. Ferrazzi participated in a major Sunday afternoon program at the Vets Auditorium when, with a strong assist from Mr. Shields, former City Council candidate Stephen Murray, Mr. Ferrazzi and numerous others, a citizens’ rights document was presented in this era of national and global debate over the worthiness of fracking.
“His visit definitely was useful,” Mr. Ferrazzi said. “Here is someone who took and applied democracy to an issue on a local level.
“I think the community rights’ approach could or should be a ballot initiative if Culver City wants to protect its residents.”
Is there a will in Culver City to formulate a moratorium applicable to the city’s 10 percent of the Inglewood Oil Field?
Mr. Ferrazzi exhaled before replying.
“Yes, I think so,” he said, “especially as the community becomes more and more aware. As public awareness increases, people will want one. They won’t want wells under their homes with multi-stage fractures all along the line.”
Is there a better chance for a moratorium here or to await word from Sacramento?
“My feeling,” Mr. Ferrazzi said, “is that you have to approach it multi-pronged. You can’t go after just one source. If it fails, there has to be an alternative.”
