SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers have rejected a bill that would have banned fracking in the state.

Fracking is a technique for extracting oil and gas from rock deep underground.

Climate groups have long opposed the process because they say it harms the environment and public health.

A bill by state Sen. Scott Wiener and Sen. Monique Limon would have banned the practice by 2035. But the proposal failed to pass a legislative committee Tuesday.

That means the bill is unlikely to pass this year. But Wiener and Limon said the issue is not going away, and they would continue to work on it.