Monterey County is now the seventh county in California to ban fracking. Voters there approved Measure Z last Tuesday by a margin of 11 points.
The Protect Monterey County Coalition, which backed the measure, says it was outspent by at least 30 to one by oil companies, like Chevron, trying to defeat the measure.
The campaign says Monterey is the first major oil-producing county in California to ban fracking. The county is home to several oil fields, including the San Ardo oil field. Measure Z proponents say the ban does not prohibit the continuing operation of Monterey County’s existing oil and gas wells.