Washington, D.C. – The Maryland state Senate voted overwhelmingly tonight to permanently ban fracking statewide, clearing the path for the ban to become law. Maryland’s Republican Governor Larry Hogan recently announced his support for the ban, and the bill already passed the legislature’s lower chamber. When Gov. Hogan signs the bill, Maryland will become the third state in the country to ban fracking following Vermont and New York. Food & Water Watch was a founding member of the Don’t Frack Maryland coalition, a lead force in achieving the ban. In response to the state Senate’s vote today, Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter issued the following statement:

“With a full-throated endorsement from the state’s Republican governor, Maryland’s impending ban on fracking brings with it a huge twist in the politics of dirty fossil fuels. Governor Hogan’s opposition to fracking, along with a burgeoning Republican-led effort to ban fracking in Florida, demonstrates that matters of public health and common-sense environmental protection need not be partisan ones. Now more than ever, a harsh, revealing light is shining on Democratic Party leaders throughout the country that have failed to follow the science and public will against fracking, and stubbornly remain supportive of the hazardous practice. They include Governors Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, John Hickenlooper of Colorado, and most notably, given his reputation as a climate leader, Jerry Brown of California. These Democratic governors continue to support fracking in their states, and their failure to lead is all the more apparent now.

“Maryland’s intent to ban fracking is the latest milestone in a strong and growing movement to fight fossil fuels throughout the country. This is a huge victory for public health, common-sense environmental protection, climate stability and, not least, the power of grassroots organizing. We are confident that as scientific analysis and public opinion continue to turn decisively against fracking, victories of this type will be emulated in many more states in the coming years.”

Food & Water Watch was a founding member of the Don’t Frack Maryland coalition, and also a founding member of the New Yorkers Against Fracking coalition that led the successful movement to ban fracking there in 2014. Additionally, Food & Water Watch was the first national organization to call for a ban on fracking everywhere.

Contact: Seth Gladstone - [email protected], 917.363.6615