Fracking opponents are continuing to apply pressure on Gov. Bev Perdue to veto legislation intended to create a natural gas production industry in the state.

The Sierra Club and Clean Water for North Carolina delivered 77 signatures to the governor last week, releasing the letters today. Forty-four are local business owners and 33 are elected officials.

"Shale gas development offers little prospect of real economic gain here," the business petition states. It's signed by owners of Asheville Geothermal, Southern Energy Management of Morrisville, Sage Cafe of Chapel Hill, Merge Records of Durham, Carolina Gymnastics Academy of Wilmington, Invest for Change of Raleigh, Jordan Lake School of the Arts in Apex, Legacy Paddle Sports in Greensboro, Bish Enterprises in Siler City and Raleigh Cary Realty, among others.

The letter from elected officials say the fracking legislation is flawed because it does not explicitly grant local officials power to ban fracking in their towns and counties. It contains representatives from Butner, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Creedmoor, Durham, Pittsboro, Raleigh as well as Chatham, Durham and Orange counties.

The North Carolina chapter of the Sierra Club this morning unveiled a website called The Daily Frack that promises "the fracking truth."

The club is one of the groups leading opposition to fracking in this state. Fracking, which is short for hydraulic fracturing, is a controversial method of drilling that uses chemicals and water to fracture underground rock formations and release natural gas. It is not legal in North Carolina, but the GOP-led legislature is exploring the possibility of changing that.

The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources is studying the potential impact of fracking and plans to release a draft report in March. Supporters say fracking will tap into vast amounts of a clean-burning domestic energy resource to offset burning dirty coal and importing oil.

Opposed are concerned about what fracking could do to the environment, including water contamination.

The site includes research, news stories and maps showing where natural gas deposits are located in North Carolina. It also allows visitors to the site to ask questions.

If you're looking for a way to be green and be social in Raleigh, check
out the new Meetup group from the Sierra Club, America's oldest,
largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.

The Sierra Club at UNC Chapel Hill is taking aim at the coal-fired cogeneration plant on the outskirts of the UNC-CH campus.

The club is in the midst of a campaign to convince the university to move beyond coal to renewable energies. 

It will host a rally today at 11:50 a.m. at the Polk Place flagpole.

Not surprisingly, the effort has a Facebook presence.

I'll do just about anything to avoid a meeting, a word that does for me what "work" did for Maynard G. Krebs. But when they throw in free local beer and appetizers?

Heck, how bad could it be? Find out Feb. 10 when the Sierra Club's Capital Chapter holds its quarterly membership meeting at Mitch's Tavern, 2426 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. You needn't be a member to attend, says the Sierra Club's Chris Plummer (though I'm sure they won't mind if you sign on). Actually, that is one of the meeting's goals, says Plummer. They'll also be discussing volunteer opportunities and it's a chance for you to find out about some of the trips the club sponsors.

It's from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. RSVP at vicechair-cg@sierraclub-nc.org, or 833-8467.

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