About

I work for a statewide non-profit, specializing in community and economic development in rural North Carolina. I have worked in this field for the past ten years primarily related to water and wastewater needs in economically distressed communities. Though certain issues have risen in a manner to trigger widespread outcry, such as the Navy’s OLF that was proposed in Washington and Beaufort Counties, there are few topics that have ignited the public debate that Fracking has.

My goal with this blog is to compile information and present that information objectively. I hope to have entries in a series of logical categories, with a lot of overlap between them, for quick summaries or jumping-off points. My research on this issue will not be exhaustive but hopefully it will be informative enough to provide a basic understanding and a portal to more in-depth sources. Any perspective in this blog is my own and not that of any organization.

This issue touches many policy areas at once: energy, natural resource management, water resource management, wastewater treatment and dispersal, land rights, mineral rights, state’s rights, transportation, environmental justice – and more. I will try to present information related to each of these issues, though, admittedly, those issues I am more familiar with will get more attention. Overall, I will try to view these policy issues from the perspective of the triple bottom line that defines a project most likely to be sustainable: the convergence of environmental protection, social justice, and economic development.

I also write another blog, not quite as frequently, exploring more community development issue and ideas (and just random ideas), which I encourage you to follow as well: rgt7670.wordpress.com

Bob Taylor