In the next three months, the Maryland Legislature will have to answer the burning question "should we open Maryland to fracking". We need everyone's help to make sure the answer is NO.
Governor Larry Hogan has made it clear - he wants to get fracking as soon as possible. Our last best chance to keep this dangerous industry at bay in Maryland is by supporting a long-term moratorium. We need help calling environmental champions and moderates alike.
Sierra Club has joined over 75 organizations in calling for a moratorium on fracking in Maryland. Read our joint statement (below), and contact md-josh@sierraclub.org to get involved in this important campaign. We are currently seeking co-sponsors for the legislation, championed by Delegate David Fraser Hidalgo.
"Position Statement in Support of a Long-Term Moratorium on Fracking in Maryland"
Concerned by the rapidly expanding evidence of harm and the growing uncertainties caused by unconventional natural gas development and production, we, the undersigned organizations, call for a long-term moratorium on highvolume hydraulic fracturing in Maryland.
The emerging science now includes hundreds of peer–reviewed studies, case studies, and reports demonstrating that permitting fracking in Maryland poses significant threats to the health and safety of Marylanders and to the quality of our air, water, and soil. Furthermore, it is clear that fundamental data gaps remain regarding the long-term and cumulative health effects of fracking and how to effectively mitigate risks. There is no evidence that the state can regulate hydraulic fracturing in a way that adequately protects public health, natural resources, or the economy.
Citing significant public health risks, including those documented in Maryland’s own health study, New York recently announced that it would ban hydraulic fracturing in the State. Maryland, too, should proactively protect the health of its residents. Based on what we know now, we believe that fracking endangers public health and is the wrong approach to building a robust Maryland economy and a clean energy.
BACKGROUND ON FRACKING IN MARYLAND
What is Fracking?
Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a violent process that shoots millions of gallons of pressurized, chemical-laced water deep into the earth, in order to release pockets of natural gas. The fracking industry exploits loopholes in the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, allowing them to avoid disclosuing the chemicals used in fracking fluid. is not universally required to disclose what chemicals and toxic substances are used.
The Maryland Environmental Health Network created a concise summary of the impacts of fracking.
Air Quality: Benzene and formaldehyde, known carcinogens, have been detected at high levels at fracking wells, and even above safe levels several hundred feet away.2 Air quality is increasingly viewed as one of the greatest health concerns due to the potential for immediate health effects.
Water Contamination: A 2011 study found that private drinking-water wells had on average methane levels 17 times higher up to a km from drilling sites, compared to those in non-drilling sites.3 There are no known remediation technologies when an aquifer is poisoned.
Secret Chemicals: Weak federal legislation has allowed companies to keep fracking chemicals and formulas secret, so communities and clinicians do not know what they have been exposed to. Commercial interests should not be allowed to supersede public health.4
Setback Distances: We do not know what is a safe distance. A one-size-fits-all policy will not suffice because unique geology, hydrology, and topography will dictate safe distances from wells.5
Radiation: Wastewater tests in Pennsylvania and New York found levels 3,600 times more radioactive than federal limits for drinking water6 and 300 times more radioactive than Nuclear Regulatory Agency limits for nuclear plant discharge.
Impact on Food Supply: Wild animals such as deer consuming contaminated wastewater could poison local consumers who often hunt for food supply. Cattle that die from wastewater poisoning in Pennsylvania are sent to slaughter houses without testing.7 Dairy products from cattle living near gas fields are not tested.
Birth Outcomes: Researchers studying found that mothers who lived near oil and gas wells in Colorado were 30 percent more likely to have babies with heart defects.8 Other researchers working with Pennsylvania birth data found elevated levels of babies born below a healthy weight.9