Gov. Perdue vetoes fracking bill

Just in: Governor Bev Perdue vetoes the fracking bill!

With only a few hours before the deadline, Gov. Bev Perdue vetoed the fracking bill SB 820. According to news reports, she had been trying to reach a compromise with the General Assembly leadership but was unable to reach any compromise. Gov. Perdue as said in the past that she thinks that fracking can be done safely, but the safeguards must be in place.

Following is her veto statement:

I support hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” for natural gas, because I believe it can and should be part of a comprehensive mix of energy sources that will create jobs, reduce costs for businesses and families, and keep our economy growing. Before we “frack,” however, we need strong safeguards in place that are specifically adapted to conditions in North Carolina. This bill does not do enough to ensure that adequate protections for our drinking water, landowners, county and municipal governments, and the health and safety of our families will be in place before fracking begins. I urged the sponsors of the bill to adopt a few changes to ensure that strong protections would be in place before any fracking would occur. The General Assembly was unwilling to adopt the changes I suggested. Therefore, I must veto the bill. Our drinking water and the health and safety of North Carolina’s families are too important; we can’t put them in jeopardy by rushing to allow fracking without proper safeguards.
I urge the General Assembly to continue working on this important issue. If they improve the bill to strengthen the protections for North Carolina families, I will sign it into law. Therefore, I veto this bill.

Please call the governor’s office to leave a message thanking her for the veto. Also, please contact your NC Representative to ask that the veto be upheld. You can call (800) 662-7952 or (919) 733-2391 and leave a message or e-mail governor.office@nc.gov.