SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California has issued 24 new hydraulic fracturing permits.
The permits allow the first new oil wells in the state since July of last year using the process known as fracking.
Fracking is a method of extracting oil and gas from rock deep beneath the Earth's surface.
It involves injecting a mixture of water, sand and other chemicals into rock at high pressure.
The decision to issue the permits angered environmental groups, who say the process pollutes groundwater and the air. State oil and gas officials say the permits were issued after an independent, scientific review by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
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