POA Members
The following is a statement from your POA Board of Directors relating to pending legislation to lift the current ban on fracking in the State of Maryland
As many of you may remember, the prospect of “horizontal fracking” in western Maryland—to extract natural gas from the so-called Marcellus Shale formation—was the subject of intense controversy in the 2010 – 2017 time frame. “Pros” were advanced in terms of economic benefits (e.g., landowner leasing royalties, County revenues). “Cons” were identified in terms of the impact on the environment (e.g., methane release), health (e.g, drinking water contamination), and the rural, scenic character of Garrett County in particular (e.g., industrialization effects like truck traffic and “viewshed” disturbance). The debates ended in 2017 when the Maryland legislature passed—and then-Governor Hogan signed—a bill banning fracking in the State.
Currently, there is proposed legislation to repeal the 2017 ban: Senate Bill 878. The controversy has been re-ignited, a key committee hearing will be held on 27 February, and the bill’s fate will have been decided by the end of this legislative session (April).
Your POA is of course committed to its mission to “promote, preserve, and protect” the features of the lake and its watershed that we all treasure. POA actions during the earlier round of deliberations were motivated by the kinds of issues noted above and their potential impact on quality of life and even property values. Your Board formed a committee to understand the issues and possible mitigating actions, had members serving on the advisory bodies established by the Garrett County commissioners, and—most importantly—took the position that “drilling and associated infrastructure” should be banned within the watershed using the Deep Creek Lake Watershed Zoning Ordinance as the mechanism. A letter was submitted to the County Commissioners along with a position paper discussing the issues and concern.
With respect to the currently proposed legislation, your POA President has engaged with both County officials and our state legislators regarding our concerns, and your Board has met to discuss the matter. If the bill to repeal the ban becomes law (viewed as unlikely by many), the Board will again take—and document—-the position that the zoning ordinance should be amended to ban drilling and associated infrastructure in the watershed.
