The NAACP says it’s investigating the impact of fracking and coal ash on minority communities.

They held a press conference in Walnut Cove Wednesday where the state is planning to conduct a test drill for natural gas. The site is in a predominately black neighborhood.

Lydia Prysock says her community has already suffered from coal ash pollution. And she says she’s concerned about what lies ahead with potential fracking.

“Our insurance companies will not insure our homes. If the foundation of our home starts to crack, we lose everything that we worked hard for to keep. These are where we live. We are not poor, just low income,” says Prysock.

The North Carolina NAACP says it’s looking into complaints from residents about environmental and health issues they say are linked to the energy industry. The organizations’ Jacqueline Patterson says this is a national problem, but black and low income communities are disproportionately impacted.

“Sixty-eight percent of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal fired power plant. African American children are five times more likely to enter into the hospital from asthma attacks and three times likely to die from asthma attacks, so this is definitely a moral issue,” says Patterson.

The NAACP says it expects to release its report in the coming months. The state is planning to conduct a test drill for natural gas in the Walnut Cove area in mid-June.

Karenna Gore, the daughter of former vice president Al Gore also spoke to Stokes County residents during the press conference Wednesday.

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