The state Department of Environment and Natural Resources is ready to present its draft report on hydraulic fracturing. This is the controversial process used to extract natural gas from shale rock underground.
Leoneda Inge: Tonight’s public meeting is in Sanford. Lee County reportedly has some of the largest deposits of natural gas in the state, so DENR is expecting a big turnout. The draft report on hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” says the process can be done safely in North Carolina if the right protections are in place. And that list is long. Diana Kees is a spokeswoman for DENR.
Diana Kees: There will be, need to be basically a whole regulatory and enforcement process and program put together. We’re not a state where oil and gas extraction has happened very much.
Citizens can make public comments in person or through email and regular mail. A second public meeting is set for a week from today in Chapel Hill.
