A rush to frack

I recently attended the Compulsory Pooling Study Group of the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission in Sanford.

As I expected, this meeting, open to the public, was highly charged with people wanting to have answers as to what will happen to their farms, land and way of life if and when fracking comes to North Carolina.

Residents also wanted to know how they will be affected by forced pooling should their neighbors sign leases to the gas companies and they don’t wish to participate. For the most part, this study group had more questions than answers.

It is working with 1940s mining and drilling laws and rules, and members admit there are gaps that must be resolved in order to protect the property owners in the targeted frack zones.

The problem is that the fracking interests are rushing to get the drill bits and chemicals into the ground before the state can prepare to protect the environment and property rights of residents.

It is hubris to think that legislation and regulation will protect the environment and its inhabitants from disturbed geological formations with drilling and pressurized injections of water and chemicals. Fracking under any circumstance is death by legal injection.

Nick Davis

Pittsboro