City mulls resolution concerning fracking within the State of Georgia

At the recent meeting of the Calhoun City Council, several concerned residents spoke in support for strict regulations of fracking within the State of Georgia and presented the council with a resolution of support during new business.

Fracking is a process that involves drill- ing down into the earth and injecting shale with a high- pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals to extract oil and natural gas. The use of fracking has prompted environmental concerns due to the huge amounts of water which must be transported to the fracking site and because of what environmentalists say is potentially harmful chemicals used during the process that may escape and contaminate groundwater around the fracking site.

Ed and Jane Powers Weldon, who reside at 511 College Street, presented a resolution of support for strict regulations of fracking to the Council. Mrs. Powers Weldon addressed the Mayor

and Council, expressing concerns such as hydraulic fracturing that could contaminate the water resources of the community.

The concern came about from a study of the issue of oil and natural gas exploration in Northwest Georgia by concerned citizens and the Coosa River Basin Initiative. The group learned that existing laws were adopted prior to the beginning of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology and fail to “adequately protect rural communities from oil and natural gas development,” according to a statement from the group.

“When I hear about the possibility of injecting unnamed chemicals into the earth, a matter which could easily leach through the shell, I’m concerned about what it could do to our drinking water,” said Mrs. Powers Weldon. “Can we take some extra time to study the processes and protect our precious resource? Once it’s gone or polluted, we will not be able to retrieve it.”

Mr. Weldon also expressed his concerns to the Council.

“We are asking that this body will go forward and request that the State put a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing until there is a chance to study the technology and get appropriate rules and standards in place,” said Mr. Weldon.

Others, like Joseph Evans of Calhoun, also spoke to the Council in support of the resolution. Evans encouraged the council to look at what is happening in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma due to fracking in those areas, stating that they are dealing with groundwater contamination and increased earthquake activity.

Joe Cook, the advocacy and communications coordinator for CRBI, spoke in support of the resolution. He told the council that it is their goal to present this resolution to all counties and cities within the Northwest Georgia region for adoption. He told the Council that his organization has had meetings and discussions with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to identify gaps in the current law, which includes lack of public notifications by a company applying for a permit, wells can be placed as close as 330 feet from a property line, the companies performing the fracking do not have to disclose what type of chemicals they are using and there is no mechanism for inspection of ground wells to monitor possible contaminates.

Mayor Palmer told the group that the Council has been reviewing the resolution and have also completed additional research, but the Council would like more time to review the issues. He told the group that the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia has provided some information as well and that the Council needs more time to review the material to make an informed decision. Mayor Palmer told the group that he understood that water is “one of our most valuable resources and we are all concerned with protecting it.”

Also under new business, a first reading of a Taxi Cab License request for Maximiliano Campos, doing business as Taxi Max at 100 East May Street was presented. It will be eligible for a public hearing on Aug. 8.

A Taxi Cab License renewal request for Isidro Barrera doing business as Taxi El Aguila at 820 North Wall Street was approved.

A Utility Division charge off request for unpaid debts for Fiscal Year 2015 was approved.

The Downtown Development Authority request for permission to close Park Avenue from Harlan Street to Hicks Street and Court Street from Wall Street to King Street for Harvest Fest 2016 was approved. The annual festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016.

The Council also approved the recommendation by the Calhoun- Gordon County Library Board of Trustees to re- appoint Kyle Smith to another three- year term, expiring July 1, 2019.

The next meeting of the Calhoun City Council will be held on Monday, July 25, 2016 at 7 p. m. at the Calhoun Depot, located at 109 South King Street in downtown Calhoun.