Rascovar: Fracking follies at the State House
For MarylandReporter.com
Shakespeare, as usual, had it right. “Full of sound and fury signifying nothing.” That describes the squabbling in Annapolis over hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking.”
It is a phantom issue in Maryland.
Environmentalists and do-gooder legislators are panicked that fracking will mean earthquakes, tainted drinking water, dirty air, despoliation of pristine farmland and other biblical plagues. They want to bar this drilling procedure forever in Maryland.
Never mind that wide-spread fracking has been going on since 1950. In those 65 years, more than one million wells have been fracked, in which a combination of water, sand and chemicals is pumped under high pressure deep into shale formations. This fractures the rock and sends deposits of oil and/or natural gas gushing to the surface.
Low oil prices = No fracking
There’s only a tiny part of Maryland where hydraulic fracturing into the gas-rich Marcellus Shale formation is viable — in far Western Maryland, i.e., portions of Garrett County and a bit of Allegany County. The number of farmers who might benefit from oil and gas royalties is very small.
Read More Here: http://marylandreporter.com/2015/03/29/rascovar-fracking-follies-at-the-state-house/
Hello Water! Goodbye Ice!
The ice on Deep Creek Lake is finally GONE! Just another sign that Spring has to be here soon!
Will Maryland Close Its Borders to Fracking?
A bill to ban fracking for three years passes the Maryland House by a veto-proof 94-45, and now it’s up to the Senate decide.
Will Maryland soon close its borders to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking?
The state’s House of Delegates voted 94-45 Tuesday in favor of legislation that seeks a three-year ban on fracking, the controversial practice for extracting oil-and-gas reserves.
The largely Democrat-backed measure is now under review by the Senate Committee on Education, Health and Environmental Affairs. There’s no set timeline for a vote in the Senate, where it’s unclear if there’s enough support to pass the bill.
If this bill becomes law, “we believe it will lead to Maryland not allowing fracking” permanently, following in the footsteps of New York, said Ryanne Waters, a spokeswoman for the environmental advocacy group Food and Water Watch, which has campaigned against fracking in Maryland.
In December, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned fracking after a state study determined there is insufficient data available to conclude it would be safe. Fracking currently takes place in 22 states. Waters said that the New York decision has given the anti-fracking movement nationwide “more steam” and “more credibility.”
Read More Here: http://insideclimatenews.org/news/26032015/will-maryland-close-its-borders-fracking
Baby boom boosting Maryland's black bear population
A baby boom is boosting the black bear population in Maryland, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
DNR officials estimate that 750 bear cubs were born in western Maryland this season.
As the ice melts on Deep Creek Lake, teams from the DNR are carrying out a rite of spring in western Maryland, tracking newborn black bears.
But before bear biologist Harry Spiker can count cubs, he has to tranquilize the mother bear. Veterinarians give the sedated mother, called a sow, a checkup.
“We look at how healthy the sow is, number of cubs, how healthy they look, and it gives them an idea of the health of the whole population here,” said Ellen Bronson, a senior veterinarian from The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
Read More Here: http://www.wbaltv.com/news/baby-boom-boosting-marylands-black-bear-population/32030480
Md. Dept. of Natural Resources tags black bears
SWANTON, Md. (WJLA) – The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants to keep tabs on the state’s black bear population.
Each spring, agents fan out to find bear cubs and their mothers to tag them for future monitoring. On Wednesday, they were out near Deep Creek Lake.
Deep in a hole in a hillside along a cold mountain stream, a black bear gave birth. State biologists have been tracking the 12-year-old bear with a radio collar for years. On Wednesday, it was time to change her collar and check her cubs. Biologists say their greatest concern is keeping the cubs warm.
It took two to pull the 230-pound adult bear from her den, before a veterinarian checked her.
Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2015/03/md-dept-of-natural-resources-tags-black-bears-112622.html#ixzz3VV5P41Nt
