Federal Moratorium Shuts Down New Oil and Gas Drilling in Central California

Pump jacks and wells are seen in an oil field on the Monterey Shale formation with gas and oil extraction using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, on the verge of a boom, near McKittrick, Calif., on March 23, 2014. David McNew/Getty Images

California has reached a settlement with the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to shut down new oil and gas drilling on more than 1 million acres of public land in Central California.

The settlement, announced Aug. 1 by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, requires the federal agency to withdraw the land from new drilling, including hydraulic fracturing (fracking), until the federal land agency conducts more environmental impact studies.