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chapelboro <br />Chatham Commissioners Approve Temporary Fracking Ban <br />By Elizabeth Friend - August 19, 2015 <br />Fracking pond <br />Chatham County Commissioners voted unanimously on Monday to ban hydraulic fracturing, or <br />`fracking,' for two years while officials update county land use plans and ordinances. <br />The General Assembly voted in 2012 to limit the ability of local governments to regulate <br />fracking, but Chatham Board Chair James Crawford wrote in a press release that law does not <br />prevent temporary moratoriums. <br />The new ban puts a halt to county approvals for oil and gas extraction. Crawford says board <br />members are concerned the process produces large volumes of potentially hazardous waste and <br />toxins. He notes the county has no facilities for treatment of such wastewater. <br />Chatham is one of a handful of towns and counties throughout the state that have acted to limit <br />fracking, but it's not clear if these bans could withstand a legal challenge from drilling <br />companies. <br />Last year state legislators authorized fracking in North Carolina, though to date, no permits have <br />been approved. <br />The controversial extraction process is on hold pending a state Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit <br />over the process of appointing members to state commissions. That lawsuit includes the N.C. <br />Mining and Energy Commission, which would be the agency responsible for issuing fracking <br />permits. <br />Chatham commissioners say they'll spend the next two years looking for ways to mitigate <br />potential damages, should the fracking ban be lifted. <br />http: / /cha pelboro.com/ news /local - government /chatham- commissioners -approve - temporary- frackin -ban/ <br />