As the North Country Gazette reports:
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed the New Jersey Ban Bill Thursday, flying in the face of the public and the New Jersey Legislature and forfeiting the opportunity to make New Jersey the first state to ban hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" in modern times, environmentalist groups cried.
More after the jump....
In June, the NJ Legislature overwhelming passed an enviromental bill that would ban fracking in New Jersey. In the Senate the vote total was 33 Yes to 1 No (6 Not Voting). In the Assembly there was 58 Yes votes, to 11 No votes (2 Not Voting, 8 Abstains).
According to the Star Ledger.....
Christie decided to veto the bill because there's an "incomplete public record" on the fallout from fracking, and that the state's department of environmental protection would have to further study the topic.
As enviromentalists know, "further study" tends to be code for big business gets to do what it wants until they screw up. If the bill was not vetoed New Jersey would have been the first state in the Union to indefinitely ban hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" in modern times. There is potential for fracking in the northwestern part of the state. Christie has instead proposed a one year ban.
There may be some good news on the override front, hopefully they go through with it!
However, the Legislature might try to override Christie’s veto, said State Sen. Bob Gordon (D-Bergen).
Environmentalists — who were anticipating at least a five-year ban at the beginning of the busy legislative day — were livid at the decision. Some said a one-year fracking ban was a "public relations stunt" or "pure politics" that leaves New Jersey open to future water pollution.
I agree completely on it being a public relations stunt for a 1 year ban. As we have seen in New York, fracking was allowed to continue after the one year moratorium as Cuomo lifted the ban. I am sure the lobbyists were working overtime for that one. I live in PA where the Marcellus Shale is located which is where tons of fracking is taking place so this issue is very personal for me. In closing, this bill was passed by big margins and should not have been vetoed in my humble opinion.
What is 'fracking'?
http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/...
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a means of natural gas extraction employed in deep natural gas well drilling. Once a well is drilled, millions of gallons of water, sand and proprietary chemicals are injected, under high pressure, into a well. The pressure fractures the shale and props open fissures that enable natural gas to flow more freely out of the well.
Further reading
http://www.frackaction.com/...
http://www.sourcewatch.org/...
'Fracking' for Natural Gas Continues to Raise Health Questions
The infamous Gasland "lighting water on fire" video.
This is my first diary so bare bear with me if I have made any mistakes.
Rec list update It looks like I made the rec list briefly which I did not expect with this crappy diary but thanks everyone! I hope to get better at this as time goes on. Also there was some slight confusion over the poll, if you feel Christie should not have vetoed then you want to answer "No" on the poll.
P.S. I am a member of the I Quote Meteor Blades in my Diary Group so here is my MB quote! We all miss MB very much.
Leaked Congressional Report: Even 'Fracking' Companies Can't Identify All the Chemicals They Use
Since Ronald Reagan gutted research into renewable energy 30 years ago, the United States has been captive to fossil-fuel interests who have done all they can to prevent a full-bore effort dedicated to conservation, improved efficiency and renewables. These days, the focus is on domestic drilling on- and off-shore, production from tar sands, other environment-wrecking "unconventional" sources of oil and natural gas and the chimera of clean coal.