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16 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G M AY | J U N E 2 0 1 7 Maryland in early april, Maryland became the third state in the nation (after New York and Vermont) to ban the practice of fracking, and RN Beth Landry proudly played her part in the huge, years-long grassroots effort to win passage of the legislation and pressure the governor to sign it into law—a major victory. "It is our duty to end fracking in Maryland and across the nation," said Landry at a rally in support of the ban in early March. Landry helped unionize and worked at Washington, D.C.'s Washington Hospital Center in the PACU for many years before recently going back to school for her master's in public policy. "We must stop injecting chemicals into the land because they could end up in our drinking water and in my patients." Landry was outspoken against fracking, not only attending rallies and protests, but also reaching out to local progressive political organizations to make presentations and win their support, helping gather petition signatures, and appearing before legislative bodies. In testimony she gave in December 2016 to a Maryland General Assembly committee hearing, Landry emphasized that "extreme energy extraction" practices such as fracking, in the final analysis, are a losing global proposition. "Nurses know that there are no jobs on a dead plant," she said, referring to the often-used excuse that the fossil fuel industry makes about prioritizing jobs over the environ- ment. "We must work together to create sustainable jobs…On behalf of thousands of nurses in Maryland, I urge you to not regulate hydraulic fracturing, but to ban it—as well as other forms of extreme energy extraction—and create a better planet for our children and grandchildren." Under enormous statewide public pressure, the Republican gov- ernor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, signed the fracking ban into law in early April. Landry noted that she believed nurses have powerful and persuasive roles to play in the fight for environmental justice and against climate disruption. "You're a member of the most trusted profession and it speaks volumes when someone who's a registered nurse advocates against a problem like this," said Landry. "When a healthcare professional speaks about something like this, people really do listen." She encourages nurses to do what they can in the fight for cli- mate justice, but to do something. "I know we all work long shifts and going to a rally might be the last thing you want to do after you get home, but do what's in your means," she advised. "If you can make a phone call to an elected representative or send a postcard to a certain person or group, do that."