SELC investigating possible fracking leases near Fredericksburg

SELC and other conservation organizations are concerned about plans for oil and natural gas drilling in Virginia that may use fracking in a potential shale gas area called the Taylorsville Basin in the Middle Peninsula and upper Northern Neck, east of Fredericksburg. This area includes or borders on major rivers such as the Rappahannock and is within the tidal watershed of the imperiled Chesapeake Bay. Fracking here could push contaminants or salt water into drinking water supplies, impose heavy sedimentation on fragile fisheries, and directly conflict with the pollution-reduction goals for the Bay.