14 DAY TRIAL // The state of Massachusetts in the US has high chances to become the country's second ever to ban the practice of fracking, otherwise known as hydraulic fracturing.
For those unaware, fracking boils down to injecting high-pressurized water, sand, and chemicals in the underground in order to split open rocks and make it easier to access oil and gas.
Last week, the state's Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture agreed to pass a bill intended to ban fracking for 10 consecutive years, Grist reports.
Now all that is missing is that the full state legislature also passes the bill, and that Governor Deval Patrick grabs a pen and signs it, the same source tells us.
Once this happens, Massachusetts will become the second US state after Vermont to ban fracking.
In case anyone was wondering, Massachusetts is considering imposing a 10-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing due to the fact that, according to several studies, this practice can contaminate water sources, trigger earthquakes, and ruin landscapes.