North Carolina

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    USGS Says There’s Plenty More Fossil Fuels to Come in Appalachia

    There were plenty of fossil fuels in the past 150 years in Appalachia–an area stretching from the northeast to the south–and there’s plenty more where those came from. That’s the conclusion from an updated series of papers collected together in a new U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper (#1708) called “Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character” (free access, linked below). The USGS says, “Professional Paper 1708 is a modern, indepth collection of reports, cross sections, and maps that describe the geology of the Appalachian basin and its fossil fuel resources. This publication supplements and updates older USGS regional studies of Appalachian basin coal and petroleum resources.” Here’s an abstract/summary of what’s in the new report…
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    Triassic Park: North Carolina Becomes 34th State to Frack Shale

    Jurassic ParkYesterday some 120 new rules that govern oil and gas drilling in North Carolina–including a rule that lifts the moratorium on fracking shale deposits–went into effect. In just a couple of years NC was able to do what so far New York hasn’t been able to do in nearly seven years–it became the 34th state to allow shale drilling. While all shale layers are now open for business, the initial flurry of interest seems to be centered in the center of the state in Lee, Moore and Chatham counties. Popularly its called the Triassic Basin, although technically it’s part of a broader area called the Deep River Basin. Within the Triassic is a sub-basin called the Sanford, and it’s there that two companies are already “aggressively” leasing in the area…
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    The Behavioral Differences Between Anti- and Pro-Drillers

    Over the years of covering the debate on fracking and shale drilling, MDN editor Jim Willis has, on many occasions, sat in public meetings and personally witnessed those who oppose drilling (anti-drillers) behaving badly. We understand people having a different viewpoint–wrong viewpoints, but different. We respect that. However, those with an opposite viewpoint don’t reciprocate that respect. It’s not uncommon for anti-drillers to boo, clap, hiss and engage in all manner of theatrics and histrionics–especially if there are cameras and microphones in the room. No camera or microphone? They bring them along to record their own rude behavior! Seems it’s a source of pride for them. As we’ve pointed out many times before, many of these people are hippie retreads–either actual hippies from the 60s who seem to have found a new purpose for otherwise dull lives, or college-aged kids who somehow romanticize and view themselves as being cut from the same radical cloth. MDN is not the only place to notice anti-drillers behaving badly. Forbes magazine has too…
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    Fracking on the Way in North Carolina, Still a Long Road Ahead

    Fracking is on the way in North Carolina and likely to begin about a year from now, which is great news for North Carolinians. No, there is no Marcellus or Utica Shale under North Carolina, but there is the Dan River Basin and the Deep River Basin in central NC–basins which contain organic-rich shale rock. However, before the drill bit hits the ground next year, the NC Mining and Energy Commission needs to finish up proposed new drilling regulations, hold public hearings, and get the state legislature to sign off on the final version. In other words–it’s still a long road from here to there.

    Here’s an update on what needs to happen, and on efforts by virulently anti-drilling groups with words like “riverkeeper” and “clean water” in the name attempting to perform an ideological abortion on the miracle of shale drilling before it can be born in NC…
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