On July 1st, Governor Perdue vetoed SB 820, a bill that would legalize fracking within two years, without the necessary regulations and safeguards to protect property owners, health or drinking water.

On July 3rd, the NC House over-rode the Governor's veto by just one vote - a vote cast in error by a veteran lawmaker. House Speaker Tillis refused to acknowledge Rep. Carney's request to waive House rules and change her vote. Read the full story.

Groundwater contamination, toxic air pollution, respiratory infections, nausea, skin rashes, cancer, tap water that is so polluted with methane and other chemicals that it can be set on fire: These are just a few of the potential dangers central North Carolina could experience if fracking becomes reality.

Want to know how your lawmaker voted? See the voting results.

Fracking is a controversial method for drilling natural gas. In other places where fracking is already legal, it’s been tied to serious harm to health and the environment.

Many experts believe that there is no safe way to frack, a position supported in a recent article from ProPublica.org:

“Hydraulic fracturing, along with other processes used to drill wells, generates emissions and millions of gallons of hazardous waste that are dumped into open-air pits. The pits have been shown to leak into groundwater and also give off chemical emissions as the fluids evaporate. Residents’ most common complaints are respiratory infections, headaches, neurological impairment, nausea and skin rashes. More rarely, they have reported more serious effects, from miscarriages and tumors to benzene poisoning and cancer.”

Despite the possible dangers, the doubts about the safety of fracking, and its potential negative impact on our health and communities, pro-fracking legislators are determined to bring fracking to our state. But we won’t let them do it without a fight.