TO THE EDITOR:
The biggest environmental fight of 2012 facing North Carolina may be the impending decision whether to allow the controversial practice known as “fracking” in our state.
Fracking is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure to fracture shale rocks and release the natural gas inside.
Hundreds of people turned out to a public hearing on fracking in Chapel Hill on March 27, including many Sierra Club members.
Of the 50 people who spoke, nearly all expressed concern or displayed outright opposition.
But that may be hard to tell for those who read The Daily Tar Heel article, “Chapel Hill fracking meeting draws crowd,” published on Thursday.
Also, the article may have cast doubt on where the Sierra Club stands on opening North Carolina up to fracking. So, let’s take a moment to make sure we are clear.
North Carolina is not ready to frack. It may never be ready. And while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) did a fantastic job in its report, the report itself raises more questions than it answers.
We still know far less than we need to know about fracking. With our air, water and health at stake, any quick moves to open North Carolina up to fracking would be irresponsible at best.
