Abstract
Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has emerged as a significant driver of environmental injustice in the United States, with socioeconomically marginalized communities bearing disproportionate exposure to pollution and regulatory neglect, as illustrated by the case of Walnut Cove and the Walnut Tree community in Stokes County, North Carolina. This qualitative case study analyzes how environmental organizations, civil rights groups, and residents mobilized against proposed fracking activities. Drawing on media reports, organizational documents, and a single exploratory interview, and using thematic analysis guided by energy justice, this study examines how distributive, procedural, recognition, and justice principles were operationalized in community resistance. The findings indicate that framing fracking as a civil rights violation-linked to a long history of anti-Black racism, exclusionary annexation practices, and unequal access to safe water-was perceived by activists and local leaders as an important resource for coalition building and for the local campaign that culminated in a municipal moratorium on fracking. Local political action, including strategic use of ordinances, moratoria, zoning hearings, and emotionally resonant public testimony, illustrates how community mobilization and justiceoriented framing may support efforts to contest extractive energy projects in specific local contexts. The study underscores structural vulnerabilities of Black and low-income communities and calls for stronger regulatory protections and research on health and social impacts of fracking.