In the name of energy independence and job creation, state legislators are trying to trade North Carolina’s environment for political points. With the state Senate’s vote to override Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of a bill paving the way for hydraulic natural gas extraction, the House will soon hold a vote of its own to approve a process that is too environmentally risky to be adopted before a review of the practice arrives next year.
Fracking, as the practice is commonly known, works by pumping a stream of water and chemicals to break up rock surrounding reservoirs of natural gas. This clears the way for the gas to reach the earth’s surface. It also puts nearby groundwater at risk of contamination.
To compound the problem, the process uses a huge amount of water. With supplies depleted, an otherwise normal period of drought could quickly become a crisis. Tree-hugging aside, it makes little economic sense to jeopardize such a valuable resource as water for limited job creation.
Though the state House is expected to come up short of the necessary votes, the issue is far from dead. The onus is on the voters to turn up to town halls and debates in the coming election to make fracking a campaign issue and protect the state’s environment.
