Statement of Don’t Frack Maryland Coalition Member Dr. Ann Bristow
On Monday night, the Maryland State Senate passed legislation, voting 45-2, that would prohibit fracking permits in the in the state until October 2017. In response, Dr. Ann Bristow, a commissioner on Governor O’Malley’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, issued the following statement on behalf of the Don’t Frack Maryland campaign:
“We are pleased the Maryland Senate passed a bill that explicitly prohibits fracking permits from being issued in the state before October 2017—a two and a half year moratorium. This moratorium will give legislators more time to evaluate the public health, economic and societal dangers of fracking, and give our communities statutory protections against drilling in the meantime. Although the amended version of the moratorium bill now requires that the regulations being drafted by the Administration be completed by October 2016, we are confident that the General Assembly will realize that there is no peer-reviewed evidence that fracking can be effectively regulated. We are unconvinced that a regulatory approach can protect Maryland, and we are also disappointed the panel to review the available public health studies on fracking was removed from the original bill. Therefore, we will redouble our work educating and organizing across the state prior to the 2017 legislative session.”