Opponents and supporters of hydraulic fracturing made their cases at a public hearing in Sanford last night.
Ray Covington of the group North Carolina Oil and Gas said about 600 people turned out to comment on "fracking," the controversial process used to extract natural gas deposits from shale rock. He praised a recent report from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, finding that fracking can be done safely in the state with proper regulation.
But Hope Taylor of Clean Water for North Carolina says the report's recommendations for protecting against the potential dangers of fracking are far too general.
Hope Taylor: There is no way to assure that those are going to be implemented in a way that will be protective, and we haven't seen a state where there has been a program that has actually protected communities, water, air and land.
Another public hearing is scheduled for next week in Chapel Hill.