UNC Charlotte scheduled to host fracking forum

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — UNC Charlotte is hosting an author, a state official and a natural gas industry representative for a day-long forum on fracking, the controversial drilling practice.

The Charlotte Observer reports (http://bit.ly/126uWCv ) the forum is scheduled for Friday at UNCC's Energy Production & Infrastructure Center.

The keynote speaker is Seamus McGraw, author of "The End of Country," a book about fracking in a rural community. Other scheduled speakers include Frank Yoho of Piedmont Natural Gas and Mitch Gillespie, assistant secretary in the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

North Carolina legislation on fracking is among the discussion topics. Last year, legislators created a commission to write rules governing the practice, but a measure introduced this year would lift a state moratorium on drilling in 2015.

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Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotteobserver.com