Monterey Shale Shakes Up California's Energy Future
In the valley that once lured gold seekers, oil prospectors are converging on the Monterey shale—a sharp new twist in California's path to cleaner energy.
(See related story: "California Tackles Climate Change, But Will Others Follow?")
Oil companies are seeking to stake their claim to this prize, plunging California into a debate on its energy and economic future. The U.S. trailblazer on renewable energy could well become the latest front in the nation's fracking-driven oil boom. (See related story: "U.S. to Overtake Saudi Arabia, Russia as World's Top Energy Producer.")
It's not yet clear whether hydraulic fracturing can unleash the same sort of oil rush in California's Monterey shale as the United States is now seeing in North Dakota and in Texas. The San Joaquin Valley, site of historic tension over river flow, aquifer-pumping, and irrigation, is a dubious location for a business that requires
