Abagail Mahl

9201 University City Blvd

Charlotte, NC 28223

November 29, 2017

The Honorable Thom Tillis

United States Senate
185 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Thom Tillis,

As your constituent, I encourage you to pass legislation that would limit fracking, or even better,
illegalize it in North Carolina. North Carolina has a diverse landscape which makes fracking
dangerous and risky with no viable option for the disposal of the pollutants. Geologists claim that
North Carolina does not have the abundance of natural gases for fracking to be worth the
destruction of our beautiful landscapes.

Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is the practice of injecting millions of gallons of
water and toxic chemicals into the ground in order to extract natural gas. It has been linked to
groundwater contamination, air pollution, and harms to property rights in other fracking states.
The lack of safe disposal of toxic wastewater, massive methane emissions, damages to local
infrastructures, and heavy traffic on small roads are other problems associated with fracking.

Researchers at Duke University found that wells located near fracking operations in
Pennsylvania had methane concentrations that are six times higher as well as ethane
concentrations that are twenty six times higher in comparison to distant locations. In addition,
fracking would turn the beautiful rural landscapes, that North Carolina prides itself on, into
heavily industrialized areas that become detrimental to the environment. Furthermore, EPA
documents showed that methane had potentially seeped into the water in Pennsylvania which led
to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to discover the radium-226 levels
were almost forty four times higher that is allowed in normal drinking water. This made the
water extremely radioactive and unsafe for citizens to drink. Please consider keeping our land
clean, pure and maintaining the pride that citizens have for this beautiful state.

Sincerely,

Abagail Mahl