Maryland
Fracking is banned in Maryland, but mineral rights remain to befuddle heirs – Maryland Matters
If you watched the Harris-Trump debate in Philadelphia recently, you probably learned more about fracking and suddenly asked yourself, “Fracking in Maryland?”
The answer could be Yes and No!
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a method for extracting natural gas or oil from shale and other “tight” rock forms.
YES, between 2006 and 2017, fracking was conducted in two Maryland western counties, Garrett and Allegany, under the Marcellus Shale, the second-largest natural gas reservoir in the world.
NO, on April 4, 2017, Gov. Larry Hogan signed a bill to ban fracking in Maryland, the first state with natural gas reserves where a legislature has voted to bar the practice.
Only five states have banned fracking, including Vermont (2012), New York (2020), Maryland (2017), Washington (2019), and California (effective October 2024). The governor’s executive order issued the New York ban, which means a future governor (possibly a Republican) can reverse it.
This guest commentary is brought up to date from my 2020 commentary, “What do Biden’s Fracking Views Mean for Maryland?”
Since Joe Biden became president in 2021, no fracking has impacted Maryland.
Is this nuclear power’s moment in Maryland?
Now, it is a race between Donald Trump (R) and Kamala Harris (D). The Republican candidate has always supported hydraulic fracturing, while the Democratic candidate has always flipped on the fracking issue.
Last week, Harris told a Pittsburgh television station, “That’s where I stand, period. As president of the United States, I will not ban fracking.”
The reason for that is simple: as of July 2, 2024, records of 220,175 drilled and proposed wells exist in Maryland’s neighboring state of Pennsylvania. The Keystone State’s natural gas sector supports around 123,000 jobs.
The top five fracking counties in Pennsylvania are:
- McKean, with 37,275 wells, where 72.3% of its votes in the 2020 presidential race going to Trump.
- Warren, with 21,433, and 68.9% for Trump.
- Venango, with 19,887, and 70% for Trump.
- Indiana, with 14,565, and 68.2% for Trump.
- Armstrong, with 11,801, and 75.6% for Trump.
Garrett County voted 77% for Trump, while Allegany County voted 68.5% for Trump.
So, the Harris-Walz campaign team is working hard to reduce the Trump percentage in the fracking counties over the USA.
While campaigning for the seat of Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, which includes Garrett and Allegany counties, April McClain-Delaney (D) and Neil Parrott (R) have yet to mention fracking.
If your ancestors lived in Garrett or Allegany counties, you might have mineral rights, although you know nothing. Supposedly, the Maryland Democratic legislators might exempt these counties from the 2017 law banning fracking statewide. In that case, you might receive a call from a company landman who would negotiate directly with you to acquire leases for the exploration and development of minerals. So I recommend reading “He Said I Was a Fracking Heiress. I Went to West Virginia to Find Out.”
In late 2013, I received an email from my Gorrell cousin, who asked me to prepare to receive an email from a landman. At first, I did not understand what my cousin meant. After contacting the landman, I learned that all of my Gorrell first cousins and I are fracking heirs, although our Gorrell parents never told us, as well as we did not know our great-great-grandfather had bought mineral rights to two Appalachian tracts in late 1890.
A decade later, in 2024, the county where my ancestors lived ranks first among 55 West Virginia counties in gas production.
I have predicted that the Maryland legislature will do nothing if Trump gets re-elected. If Harris wins, the legislature will likely not change unless Garrett and Allegany countians need to improve their economics badly due to more extended wells and advancements in fracking techniques. Also, the legislature will entitle Marylanders who are mineral rights owners and landowners to receive royalties, which will increase Maryland’s revenue. Your vote could make a difference in this crucial decision.
As singer Taylor Swift said, “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.” I encourage you to Google or research “fracking in Maryland” to gain a deeper understanding of this important issue.
If the Maryland ban continues after the election, most mineral rights owners might get tired of being harassed by leasing agents for selling the mineral rights to them.
Maryland
Winds ease for a seasonable weekend in Maryland
Happy Saturday, Maryland!
Today is the final day of fall and we’ll have more seasonable conditions and quieter weather this weekend.
Calmer weekend
Maryland’s peak wind gusts reached over 50 mph on Friday. As high pressure remains in control today (although it is moving offshore), we’ll have a couple of quieter days ahead the weekend.
Expect temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s on Saturday with much calmer winds. Sunshine mixes with clouds overhead, but we stay dry.
Tonight, we could have a few more clouds as a cold front approaches. Temperatures cool into the 20s and 30s again tonight.
Ravens-Patriots forecast
Winds pick up slightly again on Sunday, as gusts could surpass 20 mph during the day. Temperatures will be a few degrees warmer, reaching the upper 40s in some neighborhoods.
It’ll be cool if you’re heading to the Ravens game on Sunday night. Kickoff temperatures will be in the low 30s and drop into the 20s through game time.
It will be dry with mainly clear skies during the game.
Holiday travel
We are in the final countdown ahead of the Christmas holiday next week. Overall, it looks like weather will cooperate with your travel plans here in Maryland.
Outside of a low risk for a shower or two with the passing cold front tomorrow, it’s dry over the next couple of days.
Our next chance of rain will come Tuesday as a pair of fronts will pass through. A few snowflakes could mix with showers Monday night into Tuesday. Accumulations are not expected at this point.
Then, the First Alert Weather team will watch another chance for a few showers Wednesday into Thursday. Santa may need the windshield wipers as he moves through on Christmas Eve. He’ll check in with the WJZ First Alert Weather team for updated timing on the late-week chance of showers, just as you should!
Temperatures later in the week will also be warming. Wednesday will be in the mid to upper 40s with Thursday and Friday warming into the 50s. Cooler air returns for the final weekend of 2025.
Maryland
Maryland dentist to serve 10 years for pill-splitting scheme with assistant
A Baltimore County dentist was sentenced to 10 years in prison after illegally distributing an opioid to one of his former employees over the course of three years.
According to the Office of Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown (OAG), Dr. Andrew T. Fried, DMD, a licensed dentist who owned a solo practice dental office in Nottingham, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the following charges in November:
- one count of distributing narcotics
- and one count of prescribing controlled dangerous substances outside the regular course of duties of a dentist and not within the standards of his profession related to controlled dangerous substances.
Dr. Fried prescribed Oxycodone without a legitimate reason to a former employee who worked as an assistant at Perry Hall Family Dental from April 2022 to May 2025.
Dr. Fried admitted that he and the former assistant would split the pills between themselves and that he purchased them weekly from his assistant, who got them from close family members, according to a press release from the OAG.
On Friday, AG Brown announced the charges, stating, “Every Marylander who sits in a dental chair should trust that they’re receiving competent, professional care…This sentence protects Dr. Fried’s patients from further unsafe treatment and eliminates a source of opioids in our communities.”
Baltimore opioid crisis
Oxycodone is a strong prescription painkiller that is classified as a Schedule II-Controlled Substance due to its risk of addiction, illness, and, in some cases, death.
The drug is meant to be distributed by healthcare professionals to treat moderate to severe pain when other pain medicines aren’t sufficient; however, the pills can, at times, be found on the street.
In 2019, police arrested a man after discovering 38 pills of suspected Oxycodone during a traffic stop in Glen Burnie.
In 2018, a licensed pharmacist pleaded guilty to distributing oxycodone in exchange for sexual favors.
Baltimore’s ongoing opioid epidemic is a priority for city leaders.
In October, city leaders met to discuss ways to address Baltimore’s open-air drug market after three mass overdose incidents had taken place in the Penn North neighborhood over a span of four months.
Maryland
No. 7 Maryland routs winless Central Connecticut State 98-30 despite injury issues
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Yarden Garzon scored 12 of her 25 points in the first quarter, and No. 7 Maryland routed Central Connecticut State 98-30 on Friday.
To the delight of the screaming kids in attendance for the team’s annual Field Trip Day game, Terrapins coach Brenda Frese wore a jersey with the number 67 on it before tip-off. Then Maryland nearly won by that margin.
The blowout was no surprise. Maryland entered the game as one of 12 unbeaten teams left in Division I, and Central Connecticut State was one of 10 without a victory. The Terps (13-0) scored the game’s first 10 points and led 39-14 after one quarter.
Garzon made four 3-pointers in the first period.
Oluchi Okananwa had 22 points and Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu, who appeared to hobble on her right leg before leaving the game in the fourth quarter, had 10 points and nine rebounds. Ozzy-Momodu said after the game she’s OK.
Lucia Noin led Central Connecticut State (0-11) with 12 points.
Maryland guard Saylor Poffenbarger has been dealing with an ankle injury, and she sat out Friday as a planned rest day before the team returns to conference play. The Terrapins have lost Lea Bartelme, Ava McKennie and Kaylene Smikle to season-ending knee injuries, and Bri McDaniel, who tore her ACL 11 months ago, now plans to redshirt this season.
After the Terps took a 64-18 lead, they attempted five straight 3-pointers before Garzon finally made one to gave Maryland exactly 67 points. That drew an excited response from the crowd, as expected.
Central Connecticut State: Hosts Long Island University on Jan. 2.
Maryland: Hosts Wisconsin on Dec. 29.
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