Don't Frack Maryland March & Rally

March 3, 2017

On Thursday, 1000+ Maryland residents marched through the streets of Annapolis calling on legislators to ban a statewide ban on fracking! We organized the event through our "Don't Frack Maryland" Coalition which includes groups like Food & Water Watch, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Waterkeepers Chesapeake, and more. 

Fracking March in Annapolis

We started the day gathering citizens and volunteers at a nearby church before marching through the streets of downtown Annapolis before circling the Maryland State House. From there, folks gathered in front of the Capitol for a rally. We had speakers from our various coalition members with Chapter Director Josh Tulkin speaking on behalf of Sierra Club. Other speakers included Ben Jealous (former NAACP president), Rev Yearwood (Hip Hop Caucus), Beth Landry (National Nurses United), and middle school students in a climate protection program at Patterson Park Audubon Center.
Fracking Rally Josh Speaking
 
Maryland has a short term moratorium in place that is set to expire in October unless new legislation is passed. The proposed ban bill just had hearings in both chambers and with this kind of citizen engagement we're feeling pretty optimistic!

Big thanks to all our chapter volunteers, coalition partners, and attendees for making the day such huge success. We're now one step closer to banning fracking in Maryland!

Zack Gerdes
Conservation Organizer

 

 
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