Out-of-state companies angling to frack

Out-of-state gas companies are pushing the General Assembly to allow a new, dangerous form of gas drilling in North Carolina. In particular, they're eyeing land near the Deep River in the rural Piedmont, where "fracking" could scar priceless scenery and contaminate drinking water. We're uniting North Carolinians and urging lawmakers to protect North Carolina's rural landscapes and drinking water from fracking.

A new and dangerous form of gas drilling

Today, fracking is banned across the state, but some in the General Assembly want to change that. In fact, gas companies have already bought up leases in Chatham, Moore and Lee counties between Charlotte and the Triangle.

Across the country, fracking has damaged landscapes and polluted the air while resulting in more than 1,000 suspected cases of drinking water contamination.

Protecting farmland, the Deep River and more

"Fracking," shorthand for hydraulic fracturing, is the process by which water, sand, and toxic chemicals are injected into wells to fracture the surrounding rock and extract shale gas.

In addition to threatening water supplies, fracking jeopardizes the birding trails, nature preserves, farmland and treasured waterways — like the Deep River — that make Chatham, Moore and Lee counties so special.

That's why Environment North Carolina is calling on the General Assembly to retain the state's ban on fracking — to protect these rural landscapes, and the rest of North Carolina, from this risky new drilling practice.

With your activism and our advocacy, we can protect our rural landscapes

 We refuse to let our precious rural landscapes become scarred by fracking, or the drinking water that serves 200,000 to become tainted — and we have a plan to convince state leaders to maintain North Carolina's prohibition on fracking. We're bringing together North Carolinians from all walks of life to protect our land. All of us — bird-watchers, hikers, tourism businesses and North Carolinians across the state — have something to fight for.

 Our citizen outreach staff has been knocking on doors across the state to educate North Carolinians about what's at stake.

And thousands of you have joined the fight too. Across the state, you're calling or emailing your legislators, signing petitions, spreading the word to your friends and family, and speaking out at official hearings. 

Join our campaign, and take action to protect our rural landscapes, by clicking here.


Fracking updates

News Release | Environment North Carolina

Fracking Takes Center Stage in NC Senate Committee

Today, a North Carolina Senate committee examined the critical issue of fracking in the Tar Heel state.  Environmental advocates urged the committee to go slow.

> Keep Reading
Report | Environment North Carolina

Environment North Carolina 2011 Legislative Scorecard

The scorecard tracks ten contested votes from 2011 in the House and ten in the Senate on a range of bills that have largely become law, including those that push back a key deadline in the Jordan Lake clean-up plan, remove protections for a unspoiled Western North Carolina trout stream, and drastically limit the conservation of important greens spaces across the state, such as those that surround the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Find out how your legislators voted by downloading the full scorecard.  

> Keep Reading
News Release | Environment North Carolina

Nearly half of all legislators score a “zero” on the environment

Raleigh, NC— A record 55 representatives and 24 senators failed to cast a single contested vote in favor of the environment in 2011, a reflection of the repeated attacks waged by the General Assembly on the state’s air, water, and open spaces last year.  

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News Release | Environment North Carolina

House leaders threaten, but take no action on drilling bill

Raleigh—For the fifth time in a row since Governor Perdue vetoed the controversial energy bill that lays the groundwork for onshore and offshore drilling, House leaders threatened an override--this time in the wee hours of an unrrelated special session--but failed to deliver.

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News Release | Environment North Carolina

Rush to drill and frack halted, for now

Raleigh—In a temporary victory for the state’s beaches and for waterways like the Deep River, lawmakers adjourned today without voting to override Gov. Perdue’s veto of a controversial bill that promotes offshore drilling and onshore “fracking.”

> Keep Reading

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