State officials working on a study of the benefits and risks of natural gas exploration in North Carolina expect to have a draft report ready in March, in time for two public hearings planned in the Triangle on the topic of gas drilling.
Drilling for natural gas trapped in prehistoric shale rock formations is already proving divisive and controversial, even though "fracking" technology is not legal in North Carolina at this time. Critics say fracking contaminates drinking water supplies and causes other environmental risks, while supporters are pushing to tap into the nation's vast reserves of a clean-burning domestic resource as a way of offsetting dirty coal and imported oil.
North Carolina is estimated to have about 40 years of natural gas supply trapped less than a mile below Lee, Moore and Chatham counties and surrounding areas. The U.S. Geological Survey is expected to issue more sophisticated estimates of this state's reserve, but the actual quantity won't be known until energy companies start drilling.
The N.C. General Assembly next year will likely debate legalizing the technologies needed to extract the shale gas in this state. The methods used are horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. fracking), which allow for drilling up to a mile lengthwise, and releasing the trapped gas through a combination of high-pressure water, sand and chemicals.
The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources is preparing a study of shale gas and fracking in response to a law adopted this year directing the agency to prepare a report that explores the potential environmental, economic and social impacts of shale gas exploration in this state.
The report is expected to be ready in March and will be posted on the agency's web site. The final version of the study will incorporate public comments and suggestions taken at two public hearings.
The first hearing will be held March 20 in Sanford from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The second hearing will be held March 27 at East Chapel Hill High School, during the same 3-hour time period.
John Murawski has been a full-time newspaper reporter since 1991, with stints at Legal Times and The Chronicle of Philanthropy (both in Washington, DC), The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Palm Beach Post (in South Florida) before arriving at the N&O in December 2004. At the N&O he covers energy (nuclear, coal, renewable, efficiency), utilities (electric, natural gas, telephone) and telecommunications. His beat includes such publicly traded companies as Progress Energy, Duke Energy, PSNC Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, PowerSecure International, Tekelec, Cisco Systems, AT&T, among others. You can reach him at 919-829-8932 or 
