Senator Joan Carter Conway does the bidding of oil and gas industries.

http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3642:fracking-moratorium-comes-one-vote-shy-of-passing-in-md-senate-committee&Itemid=23


Fracking moratorium comes one vote shy of passing in MD Senate committee

For Immediate Release

March 7, 2013

Contact:

Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org

Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

Advocates say near-miss on victory will only deepen movement to protect state residents from impacts of high-risk drilling

ANNAPOLIS—State legislation to place a statutory moratorium on the controversial gas drilling practice known as fracking came within one vote of passing yesterday in the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs committee of the Maryland Senate. The oil and gas industry had lobbied heavily against the bill (SB 601) in the face of widespread grassroots support and polling data showing Maryland voters overwhelmingly support legislative action on the issue of fracking.

The narrow defeat of Maryland's moratorium bill in the Senate committee came the same day that the New York State Assembly took a major step forward to extend their state's existing moratorium to 2015.

"The fact that this bill came so close to passing is a testament to the strong and growing movement of Marylanders demanding protections against the risks of fracking," said Mike Tidwell, executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. "Recent polling indicates that, if Maryland voters were in the committee room making the call, more than three-quarters would say 'yes' to the moratorium bill."

Supporters of the moratorium said they will continue their fight in Annapolis, and will hold a major rally on March 13th at the State House.

After three years of pressure from health leaders, Western Maryland land owners, and environmentalists statewide, the Wednesday vote in the Senate EHEA committee represented the first time the committee had taken any vote on a fracking moratorium bill. Senator Bobby Zirkin (D-District 11) was the principal sponsor of the Senate bill. Companion legislation introduced in the House of Delegates has been championed by Delegate Heather Mizeur (D-District 20).

The vote itself, advocates said, shows progress in efforts to push the General Assembly toward action. Voting in favor of the moratorium bill (SB 601) were Senators Ron Young (D-District 3), Paul Pinsky (D-District 22), Jim Rosapepe (D-District 21), Karen Montgomery (D-District 14), and Bill Ferguson (D-District 46). Voting against the bill were Senators Joanne Benson (D-District 24), Joan Carter Conway (D-District 43), Roy Dyson (D-District 29), J. B. Jennings (R-District 7), Bryan Simonaire (R-District 31), and Edward Reilly (R-District 33).

The final 5-6 cliffhanger defeat sent a clear message across the General Assembly that the coalition fighting for protections from hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in Maryland is growing and will not be deterred.

"The narrow loss will only energize our movement further," said Tidwell. "We'll only grow and not slow down until we can positively say that no Marylander will ever face the widespread harms linked to fracking in nearby states. The more the public learns about fracking, the more concerns they have about the impacts of drilling on our drinking water, health, climate and local communities."

Fracking operations in other states have been linked to water contamination, deforestation, methane pollution, and a variety of health impacts. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley in 2011 issued an executive order calling for studies of fracking's potential impacts in Maryland, and has dedicated $1.5 million in his latest budget to study the fracking issue, but the state has no formal laws on the books to guarantee the completion of the studies before drilling moves forward. Advocates contend that the money is almost certainly not enough for full safety studies. Without an actual statutory moratorium from the General Assembly, oil and gas companies could sue to allow them to proceed with drilling ahead of environmental study findings.

A wide variety of groups have worked to advance the cause of protecting Marylanders from the risks of fracking and will continue the fight. These include Citizen Shale, Maryland League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club - Maryland Chapter, Environment Maryland, Clean Water Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, and Maryland Environmental Health Network.

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