>BRIAN WITTE Associated Press
First Posted: March 23, 2011 – 12:36 pm
Last Updated: March 23, 2011 – 3:51 pm
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Natural gas drilling in western Maryland would be restricted until the state finishes a two-year study under a bill passed by House lawmakers on Wednesday.
The House of Delegates voted 98-40 to approve the measure on drilling in the Marcellus Shale region in far western Maryland.
A permit for drilling could be granted by the state before the study is completed in 2013, if it is shown that drilling could be done without harming health or the environment. But opponents of the bill say it essentially amounts to a two-year moratorium on drilling that could bring needed revenue to western Maryland and the state.
Supporters, however, said further study is needed to make sure the hydraulic fracturing method used to recover the natural gas doesn’t pose health or environmental risks.
The process involves blasting millions of gallons of chemical-laced water thousands of feet underground to crack shale and release natural gas trapped inside. The Environmental Protection Agency is examining the process to see if it may contaminate drinking water supplies.
Delegate Heather Mizeur, a Montgomery County Democrat who sponsored the bill, said she has received 400 emails from Garrett County residents who support the bill, because they have concerns about the drilling.
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