Maryland House, Senate Pass Fracking Bills

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Lawmakers in both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly are taking a stand against fracking.

Senators and delegates voted Tuesday in favor of their chamber's respective bills to hold drilling companies more responsible for damages and place a three-year moratorium on the natural gas drilling method.

Senators voted 29-17 in favor of a bill that holds drilling companies strictly liable for injuries to residents or their property, and in the case of legal action companies would have to disclose what chemicals they use for drilling.

In a 93-45 vote in the House, delegates voted to support a three-year moratorium on the drilling practice while more studies are done on fracking's impact on public health.

The bills now head to the opposite chambers for consideration.

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