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Western Maryland Elected Officials Up In Arms Over Marcellus Shale

July 3rd, 2012 by WCBC Radio

The reaction from the petroleum industry to the notion that Maryland should carefully consider every aspect before looking into natural gas drilling was swift and predictable: Maryland is in danger of falling behind the pace set by other states in tapping the lucrative Marcellus Shale deposits.  There has  been a great deal of caution expressed when it comes to the controversial hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, process and the long list of possible adverse impacts from toxic ground water pollution to well blowouts and methane leaks. The executive order signed by Governor Martin O'Malley last month seeks not to ban natural gas drilling but to fully assess its impact, both positive and negative. That cautious approach has many western Maryland elected officials up in arms- as the feeling is that one of the state’s poorest regions is missing out on a tremendous revenue stream. Delegate Wendell Beitzel, a Garrett County Republican, says he believes there are sufficient regulations and safeguards in place to allow drilling to begin…





One Response to “Western Maryland Elected Officials Up In Arms Over Marcellus Shale”

  1. July 04, 2012 at 10:53 pm, Bill said:

    It would be informative to replace the phrase “one of the state’s poorest regions” with the names Beitzel and Edwards, as both of these politicians stand to make huge personal monetary gains from fracking in our area.

    Reply

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