Excerpt: "Fracking is dirty and it's dangerous. It can poison drinking water."
(photo: Thomas Sgroi)
16 March 14
he North Carolina General Assembly and Governor Pat McCrory are on a headlong rush to open North Carolina to fracking. Already, at their direction, the North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission has approved rules that would let fracking companies keep some of the chemicals they pump into the ground secret, and the commission is paving the way to let these companies frack under North Carolinians' property whether they want it or not.
What's next? That depends on whether North Carolinians stand up to fracking, or stand aside and let out-of-state fracking companies determine the state's future.
All across the country, the oil and gas industry is pushing the controversial practice of fracking without sufficient safeguards to protect Americans' drinking water supplies, public health or the environment. If what's happened in other states is any indication, North Carolina could soon face a host of potential problems -- from air pollution to water contamination -- as oil and gas companies roll in. Communities and individuals could lose their rights to determine for themselves whether and/or how this practice is allowed to move forward in their own backyards.
Polling shows most North Carolina residents oppose opening the state to fracking altogether -- and for good reason. Reckless fracking is not the right path for North Carolina. The state's moratorium on fracking was enacted for a reason. It should not be lifted until the state fully assesses the risks and determines how to truly protect North Carolinians against them.
Tell your General Assembly members: Put the brakes on reckless fracking in North Carolina.
