Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 14:56:04 -0400
From: jkabreu
Subject: Republican Commissioners Record on Fracking
In these final days leading up to the midterm elections, local government history is being re-written before our very eyes – and ears. One approach to historical revisionism is to declare the revision as fact so that when declared often enough, it is accepted as reality. One of many examples of the Republican majority on the Chatham County Board of Commissioners’ revisionism is their stance on fracking.
Hereis the history:
Sept.6, 2011: Sally Kost brought forth a resolution in support of Gov. Perdue’s vetoof Senate Bill (SB) 709 that sought to accelerate the permitting of fracking inNC. The resolution failed with all three Republican Commissioners votingagainst it.
ww.chathamnc.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=17800
Oct17, 2011: the BOC Republicans invited Lewis Fromkin, CEO of Fromkin Energy, afracking company, to explain to Chatham citizens that fracking is perfectlysafe. Appeals by citizens andCommissioner Kost for equal time for an opposing view were not acted on byChair Bock.
http://vimeo.com/channels/chathambocmeetings/30926982
http://vimeo.com/channels/chathambocmeetings/30929356
http://vimeo.com/30921802
April16, 2012: Commissioner Bock proposed aresolution requesting the General Assembly to go slow on fracking; CommissionerKost proposed a substitute resolution that urged the General Assembly tomaintain the ban on fracking until it could be fully demonstrated that NC’s publichealth, natural resources, economy, and quality of life were fully protected. Both resolutions were tabled and then in the following BOC meeting withdrawnwith the agreement to work on a draft letter to key members of the GeneralAssembly instead.
CommissionerBock’s resolution:
http://www.chathamnc.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=19698
CommissionerKost’s resolution:
http://www.chathamnc.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=19712
June4, 2012: BOC candidate, Diana Hales urgedthe Board to go on record in opposition to SB 820 being heard the following dayby the Senate Commerce Committee that provided no local control over drilling,such as zoning, nor any surface landowner protection from existing mineralleases.
June4, 2012: Commissioner Kost presented a draftletter, as previously agreed, to the Senate Commerce Committee, requesting theCommittee to take adequate time to write the rules, conduct further study ofthe impacts on local government and provide for local government control overzoning and use regulations. Despite the Republican majority’s expressedreservations, Kost’s letter was eventually approved and sent to the Committeeprior to the following day’s hearing.
Feb 18,2013: CommissionerKost proposed having the Chatham Register of Deeds present to the BOC on severedestates (deeded mineral rights vs. surface owner rights) and show via GISmapping, the properties affected by potential sale of mineral rights despitethe surface owner’s opposition. This presentation has not occurred.
April15, 2013: Commissioner Kost reiteratedher concerns re severed estates and need to inform impacted surface landowners.. This has not occurred.
Oct 21, 2013: Other thanKost, no Commissioners or staff had reviewed the Mining and Energy Commission,Funding Study Group’s report detailing both state and local government anticipatedcosts of fracking and its implications for Chatham County.
May29, 2014: The General Assembly ratifiedthe Energy Modernization Act that lifted the moratorium on fracking. On June 2nd, after the fact andjust two days before Governor McCrory signed the bill into law, the BOC passeda resolution stating they could not support drilling for natural gas in ChathamCounty under the present circumstances.
http://www.chathamnc.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=23677
HistoryRevised:
Inclear contradiction to their history outlined above, the Republican candidates forre-election to the BOC are now presenting themselves as having prioritizedprotection of the environment over the past four years, one of their manyclaims that fly in the face of the facts.
Janet Abreu