Trump officials open door to fracking in California

[SkatmanRoth]

18. Don Quixote Trump is tilting at windmills to connect with his base

We knew years ago fracking in California was a non-starter.

U.S. officials cut estimate of recoverable Monterey Shale oil by 96%

The underground geology of California is not suitable for fracking.

The problem lies with the geology of the Monterey Shale, a 1,750-mile formation running down the center of California roughly from Sacramento to the Los Angeles basin and including some coastal regions.

Unlike heavily fracked shale deposits in North Dakota and Texas, which are relatively even and layered like a cake, Monterey Shale has been folded and shattered by seismic activity, with the oil found at deeper strata.

Compared with oil production from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota and the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas, "the Monterey formation is stagnant," Staub said. He added that the potential for recovering the oil could rise if new technology is developed.

This is just Trump's version of "drill baby drill". It fits his rhetoric of 'energy independence' and will be lapped up by his supporters, but the energy companies will not be perusing new oil leases.