NC Legislature Makes Local Frack Bans/Moratoria Illegal

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illegalLast week we told you how heartbreaking it is to see well-meaning (but ignorant) county officials in Stokes County, NC pass a three-year moratorium on fracking–repeating the same mistakes made in New York State (see Sad: NC County Passes 3-Year Moratorium on Fracking). Don’t look now, but that moratorium is now null and void. The North Carolina legislature passed a law in 2014 that specifically says local municipalities can’t regulate oil and gas exploration–it is the sole responsibility of the state to do so. Some municipalities, like Stokes, thought there were loopholes they could use, and so they enacted a moratorium. The last bill the NC General Assembly approved before adjourning, which is a 41-page “technical corrections” bill (literally passed in the middle of the night) introduced language which closes any perceived loopholes and makes any actions like the one in Stokes illegal. Let the fracking begin!…

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