Meeting on fracking report important to the citizens
To the Editor: Cumberland Times-News
The Maryland Department of Energy and Department Natural Resources recently released their hydraulic fracturing draft Best Management Practices Report.
So far they have held two public informational meetings to present the report and allow the public to comment and ask questions.
They’ve announced that there will be a third meeting held on Aug. 7 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Allegany College in the Continuing Education Building, Rooms C-12 through C-14.
It is important that concerned citizens attend this meeting to learn about the report, as well as ask questions and express concerns.
In addition to attending the meeting, it is important that the public submit on the report to marcellus.advisory@maryland.gov by Sept. 10, a deadline recently extended from the original date of Aug. 9.
Of particular concern is the proposed 1,000- and 2,000-foot setbacks for wells and municipal water supplies, respectively. Local organization Citizen Shale proposes a standard setback limit of 3,300 feet(1 kilometer), based on new evidence released in a recent Duke study.
As citizens we must take advantage of the opportunities we’ve been granted to be a part of this process and the future of our western Maryland environment.
The report can be found at the MDE’s website, www.mde.state.md.us, under the “Land” section.
Desiree Bullard
Cumberland
Posted on 08/05/2013 in marcellus shale # fracking
