Maryland Governor Hogan leery of hydraulic fracturing

Following Governor Larry Hogan's recent announcement regarding his support of a possible ban of hydraulic fracturing, the Maryland Petroleum Council (MPC) says the state will lose money and jobs. 

“Maryland families and opportunities for job creation have lost out to the whims of a vocal minority—inconsistent with the governor’s vision to create well-paying jobs in Maryland," MPC Executive Director Drew Cobbs said in a statement from the American Petroleum Institute (API). "This political outcome fails Maryland, whose voters support development of natural gas resources and the hard-working men and women in Western Maryland who were looking forward to thousands of jobs." 

In data retrieved from the Sage Policy Group, if hydraulic fracking were passed, it would "support more than 1,800 jobs annually, with a labor income impact of more than $85 million," the API cites. The organization says it would boost the U.S. economy $316 million. 

“Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have fueled the American energy renaissance that Maryland benefits from year-round," Cobbs said. "Natural gas produced from hydraulic fracturing has driven emissions in the U.S. power sector to 25-year lows, and household budgets across the nation grew in 2015 by $1,337 due to utility and other energy-related savings in 2015. Cutting off opportunities for local production could undermine the benefits that Maryland families and consumers are already seeing today.”

The previous governor, Martin O'Malley, was supportive of hydraulic fracturing with proposed strict safety specifications in place.