The Bakersfield Californian’s Jan. 15 story (“'Overwhelming' opposition to oil activity may present challenge to local industry”) about public opposition to a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposal to open over one million acres of federal land and mineral estate to new oil drilling and fracking demonstrates just how unpopular the proposal is in Kern County and throughout central California.

The BLM received an overwhelming 8,400 comments from the public during a short 30-day comment period in August. Nearly all were opposed to the plan, with a common concern about the impact new drilling and fracking will have on landscapes that define our region and boost our local economies with tourism dollars.

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