by Seth Sandronsky, The Center Square | April 28, 2021 03:00 PM Print this article Facing a recall vote in part because of the restrictions he put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus beginning 13 months ago, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom in an executive action recently ordered the state’s Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management Division to initiate regulatory action to end the issuance of new permits for hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) by January 2024. The governor also requested that the California Air Resources Board take a close look at “pathways to phase out oil extraction across the state" by 2045 or earlier.