As a union member who would like to see those without jobs get them soon, I would like to state that bringing hydraulic fracturing for natural gas to Maryland is not the way to do this. Why? Because hydraulic fracturing will not bring a windfall jobs to Maryland and it threatens the health of all workers in the fracking process through exposure to silica dust and other hazards, not to mention the poisoning of drinking water, the respiratory problems it causes in those who live near fracking wells, the birth defects it causes in babies of pregnant women who live near fracking wells and the competition for water it creates between farmers and the hydraulic fracturing companies ("Fracking ban bill introduced in Maryland Senate," Feb. 3).