Texas Bans Local Fracking Restrictions

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law on Tuesday a measure that blocks local ordinances against hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” The move is in response to a fracking ban passed by voters in November in the town of Denton. “This law ensures that Texas avoids a patchwork quilt of regulations that differ from region to region, differ from county to county or city to city,” Abbott said in a statement. It “strikes a meaningful and correct balance between local control and preserving the state’s authority to ensure that regulations are even-handed and do no hamper job creation,” he said.