The Fish and Wildlife Committee in the Vermont House voted yesterday to enact a three year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in the state. Similar legislation is under consideration in the state Senate.
According to the state geologist, Vermont has no known resources that could be developed through fracking, and no companies have taken action to pursue hydraulic fracturing in the state.
The following statements from energy and environment experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Tammy Nash at [email protected] and 312/377-4000. After regular business hours, contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/731-9364.
“This is absolutely amusing, banning energy development where there is no energy. New Hampshire is called the Granite State, and that is what underlies Vermont as well. Of course the idea is to just show that Vermont does not want any of that dirty old fossil fuel, which of course just shows off the low IQ of Vermont legislators.”
Jay Lehr
Science Director
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“Without any known resource potential, this action has little, if any, policy significance and serves only to empower environmental activists in nearby states to prevent safe development of their own proven resources. Even President Obama has jumped on the shale bandwagon, recognizing the vast economic and environmental benefits that can be realized when natural gas is responsibly extracted. It would be a mistake if other localities used the committee’s decision to rationalize taking similar actions within their borders.”
John Monaghan
Legislative Specialist for Environmental Policy
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
The Heartland Institute is a 28-year-old national nonprofit organization with offices in Chicago, Illinois; Washington, DC; Austin, Texas; Tallahassee, Florida; and Columbus, Ohio. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
Jay Lehr was an internationally renowned speaker, scientist, Senior Policy Advisor with the International Climate Science Coalition and Senior Science Analyst at CFACT.
