Holman to Brief State Legislators on Hydraulic Fracturing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 12, 2011

CONTACT: Erin McKenzie
(919) 613.3652
erin.mckenzie@duke.edu

DURHAM, N.C. – A natural gas extraction method will be the focus of a session with state legislators Tuesday to be presented, in part, by a researcher from Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.

Bill Holman, the Institute’s director of state policy, and Vikam Rao, executive director of Research Triangle Energy Consortium, will provide an overview of hydraulic fracturing to members of the North Carolina General Assembly and other invited state leaders. The panel discussion and question-and-answer session, “Natural Gas Fracking 101,” will be held on April 12, in room 544 of the Legislative Building in Raleigh.

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” uses a high-pressure mix of water, chemicals and sand to crack rocks thousands of feet below the ground in an effort to free previously unattainable natural gas. The method is currently banned in North Carolina, but the discovery of a large reserve of shale basins in the state that could hold natural gas are attracting considerable interest among energy companies.

In Tuesday’s presentation, Rao will provide an overview of how the fracturing process works and the environmental challenges associated with it. Holman’s portion will focus largely on how other states are managing the policy questions surrounding fracking.

For more information, visit the House calendar.

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