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Earlier This Week, Vermont Banned Fracking

Scott Detrow / StateImpact Pennsylvania

A Cabot drilling rig, located in Susquehanna County


Two weeks ago, we told you about a Vermont bill banning hydraulic fracturing.
An update: on Wednesday, Democratic Governor Peter Schumlin signed the legislation into law, making Vermont the first state to put a fracking ban on the books. More from CNN:

(CNN) — Vermont’s governor has signed a bill making it the first U.S. state to ban fracking, the controversial practice to extract natural gas from the ground.
“This is a big deal,” Gov. Peter Shumlin said Wednesday. “This bill will ensure that we do not inject chemicals into groundwater in a desperate pursuit for energy.”
Shumlin said fracking contaminates groundwater and the science behind it is “uncertain at best.” He said he hopes other states will follow Vermont’s lead in banning it.

The American Petroleum Institute is raising questions about the measure’s constitutionality, arguing a wholesale ban on an industrial practice violates the document’s Commerce Clause.
Vermont isn’t part of the Marcellus Shale formation, and the Green Mountain State doesn’t appear to be sitting on a trove of gas. Shumlin acknowledged that: “We don’t know that we don’t have natural gas in Vermont. …this bill will ensure we do not inject chemicals into groundwater in a desperate pursuit for energy.”

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