Maryland Petroleum Council concerned by state's decision to ban hydraulic fracturing

The executive director of the Maryland Petroleum Council expressed concern that a Maryland General Assembly decision to ban hydraulic fracturing statewide could cost jobs, government revenue and energy security.

“This politically motivated decision moves Maryland further away from the state’s economic and environmental goals,” Drew Cobbs said in a statement.

He said the move would deny state consumers, businesses and job seekers benefits and “shuts the door on an important share in the American energy renaissance and Western Maryland’s future economic growth.”

Cobbs also said that families would suffer because of the state’s dependency on natural gas production in neighboring regions.

“Innovations in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling happening across the country have led to increased U.S. natural gas production," Cobbs said. "Since 2006, natural gas use in Maryland has increased by nearly 18 percent as the price of natural gas for residential consumers fell 26 percent.

“Given the misguided decision making that led to today’s vote, it’s now ironic that Maryland’s energy-related carbon emissions dropped 39 percent between 2006 and 2014. The increasing number of Maryland households powered by natural gas is a prime driver in this success, and we will continue to pay other states to achieve these milestones.”

The MPC is a section of the API, an organization that is composed of over 625 member companies that work in the oil and natural gas industry.