Localities May Block Fracking With Zoning, State Attorney General Says in New Opinion

摘要

Local governments m Virginia are allowed to use zoning authority to prohibit hydraulic fracturing for extracting natural gas, Virginia's attorney general said in the nonbinding opinion letter. The opinion by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) differs from one issued in 2013 by his predecessor, Ken Cuccinelli (R). In his opinion, Cuccinelli said state law bars localities from prohibiting drilling through zoning or other means, and that localities can use zoning authority only to control the location of oil and gas drilling (44 ER 183, 1/18/13).