Drilling awareness coalition hosting forum

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Drilling_awareness_coalition_hosting_forum_10-22-2010.html
Posted: October 23, 2010

Drilling awareness coalition hosting forum

MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com

The Back Mountain-based Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition will again carry its message against natural gas drilling in Luzerne County into the Wyoming Valley.

The group will host an informational meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Kingston American Legion Post 395, 386 Wyoming Ave.

The public event will include a presentation by Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition founder Thomas Jiunta and a question-and-answer session.

“We organized this meeting to alert residents in the Valley that the gas drilling occurring in the Back Mountain will have an impact on them, as well,” Jiunta said, adding that the group believes the quality of the air, water, and roads, as well as property values in the Wyoming Valley, could be negatively affected by natural gas drilling.

The Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition describes itself as a group of primarily “Luzerne County citizens concerned about the many problems horizontal fracturing (“fracking”) will bring to this populated and developed area. … Their goal is to protect Wyoming Valley communities and the environment from exploitative gas drilling.”