Clarke Morrison

cmorrison@citizen-times.com

ASHEVILLE – State environmental officials plan to test for the presence of significant natural gas deposits in seven Western North Carolina counties, a development that alarms environmentalists over the possibility of fracking in the mountains.

Geologists with the N.C. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources will collect rock samples along a formation called the Precambrian Rift starting in late summer or early fall, spokesman Jamie Kritzer said.

The samples will be analyzed to determine how much organic carbon they contain, which should provide clues to the potential for extraction of fossil fuels from the sedimentary rock.

"All this is designed to determine if there is the potential for oil or natural gas in the area," Kritzer said.

The N.C. General Assembly mandated the testing and allocated $550,000 over two years for the project statewide. The mountain counties where the samples will be collected are Clay, Cherokee, Macon, Graham, Swain, Jackson and Haywood.

"The fact that DENR is interested in exploring Western North Carolina for drilling has us very concerned," said Sally Morgan, a researcher with the environmental group Clean Water for North Carolina. "There is a lot of public land, state and national forests and park land in Western North Carolina.

"Many people in these areas rely on groundwater, which is at risk of contamination from fracking. There are steep slopes that make it more dangerous to frack. The industrialization of the landscape could hurt tourism."

Meanwhile, state legislators approved a bill Thursday lifting a moratorium on fracking in North Carolina. Gov. Pat McCrory, an ardent proponent of expanding natural gas exploration, is expected to sign it.

Morgan said she finds it troubling that state lawmakers and officials appear to be doing the exploratory work for the gas industry.

"Their rules are aimed at encouraging the fracking to come to North Carolina at the expense of what the public thinks and protections for the public," she said. "They want fracking to happen as soon as possible."

The term fracking refers to hydraulic fracturing, a controversial method of extracting oil and gas by injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel and chemicals into rock.

The legislation also bars local governments from enacting regulations on oil and gas operations.

McCrory said North Carolina has "sat on the sidelines as a state for far too long on gas exploration" and needed to create jobs and make the country more energy independent.

Swain County resident Garrett Lagan is concerned about the potential environmental consequences of drilling in his area.

"I have spring water," he said. "I'm nervous about my water quality if they start drilling and pumping unknown chemicals in the ground.

"If they start fracking in my neighborhood, it's going to depreciate my assets. I don't like gambling all this stuff on the possibility we might make some money on gas leases."

Kritzer said state geologists will use hand tools to collect rock samples primarily along state road rights of way. Areas were identified by the work of the N.C. Geological Survey over the past three decades, he said.

The samples will be analyzed to determine the amount of organic carbon in the sedimentary rock. Natural gas is a product of decomposed organic matter.

"If the amount is below 1.4 percent, then we can safely conclude there is not a chance there would be oil or natural gas generated in the area," Kritzer said.

If the amount is higher, the samples would undergo further testing to determine what type of compounds are in the rock.

"Based on that analysis we would know if a particular area has the potential to generate oil or natural gas," he said.

Kritzer said a report on test results will be given to the General Assembly during the 2015 session. Further testing or exploration might then be needed, he said.