ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - A Maryland lawmaker is hoping to block the start of a hotly debated natural gas drilling method in the western part of the state.
Del. David Fraser-Hidalgo, a Democrat from Montgomery County, is set to announce a proposed moratorium on fracking during a news conference in Annapolis on Thursday.
Fracking is a style of natural gas drilling in which water, sand and chemicals are blasted underground, shaking loose rocks and releasing gas.
Fraser-Hidalgo will be joined by Concerned Health Professionals of Maryland, as well as a member of the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, which was established in 2011 under former Gov. Martin O'Malley to study the risks and impacts of fracking on Maryland soil.