A federal judge’s ruling will temporarily prevent the process known as fracking in the central coast. The U.S. Magistrate judge said the Bureau of Land Management failed to follow environmental laws when if auctioned off public lands in Monterey County without conducting proper impact studies. The land near the Salinas Valley River is home to one of the countries largest shale oil deposits. Fracking for oil has become an increasingly controversial practice, with environmental groups strongly opposed. While this case involves 2,500 acres in south Monterey County, the Sierra Club and other agencies are expected to sue for the leases of another 17,000 acres in central California.
