OREANDA-NEWS. April 06, 2017. Maryland governor Larry Hogan yesterday signed a bill banning hydraulic fracturing in the state.

Maryland's legislature in 2015 approved a moratorium on fracturing that will expire on 1 October, prompting the new legislation. Western Maryland sits atop the prolific Marcellus shale, according to the state's Department of Natural Resources.

The bill overwhelmingly passed a state Senate vote on 23 March, after which the state's House of Delegates sent it on to the governor for signing. Two amendments proposed by Republican state senator George Edwards —which would have changed the legislation to yet another moratorium through 2027 rather than a ban — were struck down prior to the senate's approval.