Dear Governor Hogan,
In response to your reply about fracking in Maryland. We, the undersigned, disagree.
You said and I quote, "In a collaborative effort to determine whether drilling into the Marcellus Shale could be accomplished without unacceptable risks to public health and the environment, state policymakers created the Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative Advisory Commission in 2011. This Advisory Commission, working closely with the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, spent 3 years studying the potential effects that hydraulic fracturing could have on our state. In 2014 they issued their final report, which determined that with proper regulatory oversight and rigorous inspections, we can strike a balance between environmental protection and the economic opportunity derived from hydraulic fracturing.
I can assure you that any future policy decisions will place the highest priority on the safety of our fellow Marylanders by pursuing a balanced approach towards hydraulic fracturing."
You are making a huge environmental mistake. There is no balance. As your constituents and other global citizens, we advise against this course of action.
