North Carolina's new Mining & Energy Commission is likely to receive plenty of unsolicited advice on how to safely manage fracking in this state as the panel undertakes its mission of writing regulations and reports for the state legislature.

One of the more ambitious contributions will come from Research Triangle Environmental Health Collaborative. The local non-profit organization is planning a two-day symposium next month on the public health effects of fracking, wtih plans to produce a report and conclusions for state lawmakers, public officials as well as members of the Mining & Energy Commission.

For its part, the commission is holding its first meeting today for planning and orientation purposes. But  some of the commission's 15 members have already accepted invitations to the health collaborative's symposium, scheduled for Oct. 2-3.

The collaborative meeting is open by invitation only to about 150 people who are expected to attend. It will break off three working groups to address separate health aspects of fracking, an industry shorthand for hydraulic fracturing.