PITTSBORO (AP) The head of a panel writing rules for natural gas fracking in North Carolina says state standards should prevail in any disputes with local governments about those regulations.
The Fayetteville Observer reported a study group of the North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission met Friday in Pittsboro. Commission chairman and Lee County Commissioner Jim Womack says local governments should have to prove why they want their rules to be more stringent than any state standards.
Fracking opponents are concerned about possible harm to people and the environment.