Legislators from more rural areas across the state plan to focus on transportation and energy issues during the upcoming legislative session.  As reported by Gazette.Net:

“The big issue for us is transportation infrastructure,” said Del. Sally Y. Jameson (D-Dist. 28) of Bryantown, chairwoman of the House Southern Maryland delegation, citing a pair of key bridge repair projects that she and her colleagues want to see funded.

Lawmakers on the Eastern Shore said they also will focus on transportation issues, while Western Maryland representatives will work on generating support for the mining of natural gas through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Legislators from Southern Maryland plan to focus on the Harry W. Nice and Thomas Johnson bridges, while Eastern Shore legislators will focus on the Dover Bridge.

The Dover Bridge, which connects Talbot and Caroline counties, is the major transportation priority on the Eastern Shore, according to Sen. Richard F. Colburn (R-Dist. 37) of Cambridge, chair of the Senate Eastern Shore delegation.

Western Maryland legislators plan to focus on removing obstacles to fracking in the Marcellus Shale formation.

A study released earlier this year by the Maryland Petroleum Council projected fracking could generate 1,800 jobs and as much as $732 million in royalties for landowners who lease their property for drilling.