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Miners call it "fracking". It involves injecting pressurized, chemically treated water into the ground to loosen deposits of shale, releasing trapped natural gas.
Advocates say fracking is safe; opponents argue the practice contaminates water supplies. As it turns out, Western Maryland sits atop one of the U.S.'s richest natural gas fields, and there are two pending applications from companies that want to drill for gas there.
Robert Summers, Maryland's acting environment secretary, told a Senate committee Tuesday that he wants more federal oversight on fracking. He won’t green-light the drilling until he’s satisfied it can be can be done safely," he added.
"…It can disturb some of the naturally occurring materials, such as methane, within those various layers and it has caused problems in some areas," Summers said during his testimony.
The Maryland General Assembly, which adjourned this week, failed to pass a proposed two-year, industry-financed analysis of hydraulic fracturing. Meanwhile, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is studying the effects of the process.
Christine Ha: From MasterChef To Home Kitchen
When Christine Ha won MasterChef in 2012, she blew the reality TV show judges away with her Vietnamese influenced cooking. But what really impressed viewers was that she had total control in the kitchen, even though she's blind. Host Michel Martin speaks to Christine Ha about her new cookbook Recipes from my Home Kitchen.Growing Vegetables From Seeds Take Root For Many Gardeners
More and more gardeners are bypassing the local nursery and instead starting their veggies from seed. Seeds are often cheaper and they give growers a bigger choice of varieties. At a community garden in Venice, Calif., students learn the ins and outs of gardening from scratch.Decades Of History Behind IRS Flap
Host Michel Martin looks into why some non-profits are tax exempt, and how something like the recent IRS flap could happen. She speaks with David Cay Johnston, a columnist for Tax Analysts and reporter Brentin Mock of Colorlines.com.Yahoo To Buy Tumblr In An Attempt To Revitalize Itself
Yahoo is expected to announce Monday that it's acquiring the social media site Tumblr, in a deal The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets are reporting to be worth about $1.1 billion. Some analysts are calling the acquisition an effort by Yahoo to be "cool and relevant" again.Leave a Comment
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