April 25th, 2013 by WCBC Radio
Maryland lawmakers seeking to block the gas drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing struck out in the just completed session of the General Assembly. A bill seeking a moratorium on the practice was withdrawn in the House of Delegates after a similar Senate bill died in committee. The same committee killed another bill that would have banned hydraulic fracturing outright. A state advisory commission is working on recommendations to allow the technique in Maryland. No drilling permits can be issued until after its final report in August 2014. The western Maryland Delegation strongly supports fracking, hoping that it will create a new revenue stream of hundreds of millions of dollars for the region. Although while the latest efforts to permanently ban fracking failed, Delegate Wendell Beitzel fears that the lengthy process underway in Maryland and the potential for stringent regulations may lead businesses to choose neighboring states…
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