Chatham County Commissioners voted unanimously on Monday to ban hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking,’ for two years while officials update county land use plans and ordinances.

The General Assembly voted in 2012 to limit the ability of local governments to regulate fracking, but Chatham Board Chair James Crawford wrote in a press release that law does not prevent temporary moratoriums.

The new ban puts a halt to county approvals for oil and gas extraction. Crawford says board members are concerned the process produces large volumes of potentially hazardous waste and toxins. He notes the county has no facilities for treatment of such wastewater.

Chatham is one of a handful of towns and counties throughout the state that have acted to limit fracking, but it’s not clear if these bans could withstand a legal challenge from drilling companies.

Last year state legislators authorized fracking in North Carolina, though to date, no permits have been approved.

The controversial extraction process is on hold pending a state Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit over the process of appointing members to state commissions. That lawsuit includes the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission, which would be the agency responsible for issuing fracking permits.
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Chatham commissioners say they’ll spend the next two years looking for ways to mitigate potential damages, should the fracking ban be lifted.

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