Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens has halted the approval of gas drilling operations in North Carolina until a higher court weighs in on the legality of the appointment of several boards that manage state resources and the environment. The decision will pause the Mining and Energy Commission from approving drilling units for fracking until the state Supreme Court decides a separate case dealing with how the state panels are formed. Before the judge’s order, no drilling units had been approved. Stephens issued a preliminary mandate that stops the commission from accepting or processing applications for drilling units. He also delayed proceedings in the lawsuit filed against the state’s Mining and Energy Commission.

SOURCE: WRAL