Frostburg bars use of city land and water for fracking

FROSTBURG, Md. (AP) – The western Maryland city of Frostburg is banning the use of city land and water for fracking.

The Cumberland Times-News (http://bit.ly/2gT17kD ) reports that the City Council voted unanimously Thursday to adopt an ordinance prohibiting drilling and extraction of oil and natural gas on city-owned land. The ordinance also prohibits sales of city-owned water for those purposes

The drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, uses highly pressurized water and chemicals to fracture rock formations and release trapped gas.

The protected land includes about 1,800 acres of the Piney Reservoir watershed in neighboring Garrett County. The reservoir is the largest source of Frostburg drinking water.

Anti-fracking activists also are seeking a ban on fracking within the Frostburg city limits.

A statewide moratorium on fracking is set to expire in October.

 

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Posted on 12/20/2016 in Uncategorized