Fracking More Risky Than It’s Worth, Says Environment Maryland

Annapolis—As a state senate committee held hearings on a number of bills related to “hydraulic fracturing,” or “fracking,” Environment Maryland Director Tommy Landers issued this statement:

“We have already seen the many dangers of fracking in other states, especially nearby Pennsylvania. We think it’s important to look at the evidence before us, and we believe the evidence available today compels us to ban fracking in Maryland. This dirty drilling practice is simply more risky than it’s worth for our state.

We are at a critical fork in the road. As the state spends money on future energy infrastructure, we can either invest in more fossil fuel equipment that will only lead to more costly damage to our environment and public health, or we can invest in energy efficiency and truly clean, renewable energy that will help stabilize our energy costs over time, stabilize our climate, and clean up our air and water. We cannot afford to continue investing in dirty energy. Marylanders have said they agree with that. In a recent poll, 73% of Marylanders said they’d want any new power plant to use renewable energy, not more fossil fuels.

It’s important to look at the many costs that fracking would likely incur to the citizens of Maryland. Over the course of the entire fracking process, these are some of the many costs to society of fracking:

Drinking Water Contamination – In rural areas where fracking occurs, most residents rely on groundwater for household and agricultural use. If this water source is contaminated, it can take years, decades, or even centuries to clean naturally. It can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove toxic contaminants from groundwater, so residents must use costly methods of water replacement such as potable water delivery, which, for example, cost an estimated $350,000 in Colorado. Surface water contamination can also cause a need for expensive extra water treatment by local facilities.

Health Problems – In Texas, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, residents living near fracking sites have experienced health problems such as rashes, blisters, headaches, nausea, eye irritation, and respiratory problems. These health impacts lead to economic costs of treatment, prescription drugs, workplace absenteeism, and reduced productivity. It is also a dangerous job for oil and gas workers, who are at risk for accidents resulting in death and long-term health problems such as silicosis.

Damage to Natural Resources – Fracking can lead to more runoff pollution due to clearing forested land for well sites. Especially in western Maryland, scenic and economically valuable natural places like Deep Creek Lake could be threatened. Also, the Chesapeake Bay could be harmed by spills of fracking wastewater.

Impacts on Public Infrastructure and Services – The process of delivering water to a single well site causes as much damage to roads as nearly 3.5 million car trips, which means local governments will have to pay to repave roads more often. Fracking can also lead to increased demand for water, emergency response services, and affordable housing.

Broader Economic Impacts – When people come into a rural area to drill, they create “boomtowns” that end up worse off in the long run. It can also harm the value of residents’ homes and damage their agricultural livelihood due to livestock exposure to wastewater.

Oil and gas companies rarely cover the economic, health, and environmental costs of fracking, and taxpayers are ultimately the ones who must bear this burden. The risk of allowing fracking in our state is too high for the taxpayers to bear.”