Vermont Bans Fracking, As North Carolina Advances Bill To Make It Legal

Oil field workers drill into the Gypsum Hills near Medicine Lodge, Kan., using horizontal drilling and a technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking. (AP)

This week Vermont became the first state in the nation to ban the method of underground natural gas extraction known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, even though there are no known natural gas reserves under the state.

The Burlington Free Press reports that the American Petroleum Institute questions the constitutionality of Vermont’s ban, but officials in Michigan have contacted Vermont lawmakers seeking advice on how to pursue a ban in their state.

And the town of Loveland, Colorado this week became the one of the latest communities to ban fracking over concerns that the process of pumping water and chemicals underground to release pockets of gas or oil pollutes the environment. Meanwhile, a legislative commmission in North Carolina recommended a vote this summer on a bill that would legalize the mining method within two years.

Guest:

• Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica environmental reporter, author of “Run To Failure: BP and the Making of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster”