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The Future Of Hydrofracking in Virginia

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The issue of safety and the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing, or "hydrofracking," to extract natural gas from the earth has become a national debate. In Rockingham County in western Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, grassroots resistance by local citizens caused a Houston-based energy company to postpone plans to start hydrofracking on private lands where they already hold mineral leases.

An official from the company, Carrizo Energy, said in 2010 that the company would "take that permitting process [for natural gas drilling] up at a later date." Local citizens, too cautious to declare victory, are still uncertain over what the future holds.

This report will focus on the status of hydrofracking in Rockingham County in 2011, and explore questions such as:

  • As the first location in Virginia where hydrofracking has been proposed, will this become a test case for state law?
  • What is the status of ongoing efforts of hydrofracking opposition groups?
  • How could hydrofracking affect members of the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County community?
  • How has the debate effected landowners who have sold mineral rights leases?

The completed story will be published on hburgnews.com, a community-supported online news site based in Harrisonburg, Virginia, which has agreed to fund half of the cost of the article.


Photo by Ari Moore. Creative Commons, 2009.

 
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