Frack Free Lobby Day

State lawmakers returned to Raleigh last week and pro-fracking legislators quickly introduced Senate Bill 820¹, which would legalizing fracking within two years even if the state doesn’t adopt proper regulations and safeguards (if you believe it can even be properly regulated).

Can you send your state legislators a message urging them to oppose ANY bill that would promote fracking in North Carolina? http://action.ncconservationnetwork.org/OpposeFracking

Fracking is a controversial method of drilling for natural gas (learn more here) that has been tied to groundwater contamination and controversy across the U.S. Some legislators here seem determined to legalize the practice, while ignoring some major news in North Carolina. Some of fracking’s dirty little secrets include:

• Fracking in North Carolina would involve greater risk compared to other states because “North Carolina’s natural gas reserves are much closer to groundwater than in other states, and the rock in between is not watertight and could permit potent fracking chemicals to work their way upward and contaminate the aquifers.”²
• Pro-fracking legislators and the fracking industry have claimed that we’re sitting on top of a goldmine of natural gas, but now those claims appear to be grossly overstated. State geologists are now estimating that the proclaimed 40-year supply is not accurate and that the reserves are “closer to an amount that’s equivalent to about five years of the state’s natural gas use.”³
• Some legislators are touting fracking as a key to economic recovery for North Carolina. Here’s what they’re not saying…the gas industry predicts North Carolina has so little gas that they would not come here for over 20 years. In fact, they also predict that the average number of jobs the gas industry would create in NC is only around 387 statewide. These legislators want you to believe that fracking will bring a tidal wave of jobs, but the facts say otherwise. If jobs really were a priority, why did the legislature pass a budget last year that cut 4,800 jobs from North Carolina’s public school system?⁴

It’s obvious that North Carolina shouldn’t open the door to this industry at a time when there are still many questions about the process and the impacts to our communities.

Tell your legislators to oppose any bill that would put us on a path to legalizing fracking today.

Thanks,
NC Conservation Network

Frack Alert!

 Senate Bill 820 is Moving Quickly—Contact your legislators by “Call-in/Write-in Day,” Wed., May 23!! 

The very aggressive fracking bill sponsored by Senator Bob Rucho was filed last week as Senate Bill 820 and is likely to move quickly in the Senate, perhaps with a first committee hearing this week.  Sponsors: Senators Rucho, Blake, Walters;  Co-sponsors: Allran, Apodaca, Bingham, Brock, Brown, Brunstetter, Carney, Daniel, Davis, East, Goolsby, Gunn, Harrington, Hartsell, Hise, Jackson, Meredith, Newton, Pate, Preston, Rabon, Rouzer, Soucek, Stevens, Tillman, Tucker, and Westmoreland.

To find contact information for your legislators, click here, and select “county” “zip code (9 digit)” or “district” if you know it. Senators are most urgent, but we recommend calling your county’s Representatives as well, to prepare them to respond the terrible provisions of this bill. House members will be busy with the budget for the next week or so.

Be sure to ask your Senator or Representative to OPPOSE S820 or any bill that would legalize fracking and leave NC communities’ water, air and infrastructure vulnerable!  New information indicates that the amount of gas in NC shales may be a 5 year supply or less—it’s just not worth an expensive regulatory program, and all the damage extracting it could cause.

S820 would immediately legalize fracking, horizontal drilling and even injection of toxic wastewater from fracking operations! On July 1, 2014, no matter what we know about NC conditions, shallow shales, water resources, etc, and how little progress we’ve made on regulations, permits could be issued for exploration and production! A new Oil and Gas board, dominated by industry interests, would control all activities. DENR would have little control over environmental protections.

S820 provides no protection for landowners, continuing to allow “forced pooling” to drill for resources under lands of folks who don’t want to lease! Info on drilling operations could be hidden for two years and local governments would be stripeed of the authority to control or ban gas development.

Please plan to join us on Tuesday, June 5, as we strive to fill the halls of the General Assembly to meet with our legislators and let them know there’s simply NO reason to legalize fracking in NC!  A pathetic amount of gas, a trivial amount of jobs and lots of potential damage to communities’ well being, drinking water, air, roads and landscapes.

Please call or write your legislators today, and be sure to ask them to OPPOSE S820 or any bill that would legalize fracking!  Then let us know what you hear back from them….THANKS!

(reposted from Clean Water for North Carolina)

News and Video From the May 19th March Against Fracking

The following is reposted from www.croatanearthfirst.com

Raw Footage of the march (speeches towards middle):

NC Fracking Foes March in Raleigh (<—- Click to see Channel 5video)

Channel 17 News Coverage: Anti-Fracking Forces March

 North Carolina Pledges Action Against Fracking:

Yesterday, May 19th, roughly 200 people gathered in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, to participate in a colorful march organized by Croatan Earth First! on Occupy Well Street’s Day of Action Against Extraction.  Protesters marched through downtown with giant puppets, emulating earth spirits and elements, and arrived at the legislature where they plan to legalize fracking in the next coming months.  After a talk about the importance of civil disobedience and direct action, hundreds of people recited a pledge of resistance outside the legislature promising to personally take action to stop hydraulic fracturing if it’s legalized.  A sermon for the water was delivered as a coffin filled with water was presented to the legislature.  A wide range of people and organizations participated in the march including Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Cumnock Preservation Association and Raleigh Occupy.  Speeches were given by NC WARN, a representative of Red Hat, the Neuse Riverkeeper, W.A.L.L of Anson County, and Clean Water for North Carolina.  Banners read, “No Jobs On A Dead Planet,” “Don’t Frack North Carolina – Earth First!,” and  “We Can’t Drink Money.”  Croatan Earth First! is planning to organize a direct action training camp in late summer to prepare if hydrofracking is legalized in the state.

UNC Seminar on Health Affects

SEMINAR TITLE:  “Hydrofracking: Public Health Issues and Impacts”

SPEAKER:   Trevor M. Penning, Ph.D. WHEN:  Wednesday 23 May, 2012; 1:30 PM WHERE:  Rosenau Auditorium (Room 133)
The UNC-CH Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility is pleased to announce the Seminar “Hydrofracking: Public Health Issues and Impacts”, to be presented by Trevor M. Penning, Ph.D. Dr. Penning is The Thelma Brown and Henry Charles Molinoff Professor of Pharmacology, Professor of Biochemistry&  Biophysics and OB/GYN, and Director of the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Pennsylvania. His research is related to how polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) cause cancer in humans. Access to the live webcast of the seminar will be available on the UNC CEHS website. of Fracking.