Newsom bans new California fracking permits starting in 2024 Oil wells just north of the town of McKittrick in Kern County. The governor would like to ban all new permits for fracking starting in 2024. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday took action to ban new permits for hydraulic fracturing starting in 2024, halting the controversial oil extraction method reviled by environmental activists, and called on the state regulators to evaluate phasing out all oil production in the state by 2045. Newsom’s announcement comes as a recall campaign against him appears close to qualifying for the ballot and is a reversal from the governor’s previous statements that he lacked the executive authority to ban hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking. Newsom recently decided to use the state’s environmental regulatory authority after efforts to pass the ban legislatively failed, an administration spokesperson said.