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Fracking
DEC Fracking Hearings Day 2
Nov 17th - 1:19 pm
If you want to see the DEC’s public hearings on the high volume hydraulic fracturing – you can watch them on our YNN website here.
Martens: DRBC Regulations Create Confusion
Nov 9th - 6:10 pm
DEC Commissioner Joe Martens says he thinks New York will likely vote against the regulations on hydrofracking that the Delaware River Basin Commission released earlier this week, though he says the DEC is still reviewing the proposal.
The DRBC is a federal agency that regulates drinking water for residents in parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Each of those states has a say on whether or not to approve the plan, which calls for a limit of 300 wells in the basin. The number would be reviewed after 18 months. But some groups don’t want any drilling to take place in the basin. Also, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has filed suit against the DRBC to try and force a more comprehensive study before hydrofracking is allowed.
Talking to reporters after a meeting of the Hydrofracking Advisory Panel, Martens suggested that the regulations will cause a conflict with the state. First, New York will not issue any new permits until after the DEC completes it’s SGEIS. And once they do, Martens says having two sets of regulations will lead to confusion.
“I am not sure which ones would take precedent. certainly we would apply ours, and we can only apply ours. We can’t enforce the Delaware River Basins’ rules, they would have to enforce them. It creates confusion,” Martens said.
The commissioner also asked if the local election results from yesterday where hydrofracking played a key role in races in Otsego, Sullivan, and Tompkins County. He said the DEC “isn’t paying attention to local elections when we are drafting an SGEIS.”
Fracking Permits Next Year? ‘Hard To Predict’ Says Martens
Oct 25th - 6:31 pm
It’s unclear whether the state will grant permits for a controversial but potentially lucrative natural gas extraction process next year.
Asked point blank if he thought permits could be granted by 2012, Martens hedged.
“It’s hard to predict,” he said. “We have a lot of work left to do.”
Further pushing back the time table for allowing hydrofracking is the state budget. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget is due in January and the DEC’s public comment period on its draft environmental impact ends only a month earlier. The process is expected to have impacts on areas that include health, water quality and even infrastructure.
“The comment period will close on Dec. 12 and it’s going to take us months to review the comments,” DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said following the fracking advisory panel meeting. “We already have nearly two thousand comments and we expect literally thousands more before the end of the comment period. So that’s going to push us out beyond the budget just the review of that.”
The process, commonly known as hydrofracking, involves blasting a mixture of sand, water and chemicals underground in order to extract natural gas underneath.
It’s a potentially lucrative one and has been cast as a major life preserver for the job-starved Southern Tier region, which is believed to have abundant gas reserves. But environmentalists say the state isn’t focusing on the potentially harmful impacts of hydrofracking. They say a state sponsored analysis of fracking’s impacts focuses too much on the positive implications.
“You look at the analysis that they prepared,” said Robert Moore of Environmental Advocates. “Ninety-nine percent of it was the positives and there’s a few paragraphs sprinkled in there that acknowledged the negatives and they didn’t quantify it.”
DEC Announces Fracking Public Hearing Schedule
Sep 28th - 9:45 am
The Department of Environmental conservation has released draft regulations for high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking. Basically, this is the working document for the regulations that will be put in place for the controversial natural gas drilling policy.
With the draft, they also announced the public hearing schedule. Following the public hearings, the DEC will revise the draft to create a final document.
“Public review of the proposed requirements and regulations governing high-volume hydraulic fracturing is an important part of the environmental impact statement process,” Martens said. “The comments from the 2009 public comment period proved insightful and helped inform the revised SGEIS. We look forward to continuing to hear from commentors in person and in writing over the next few months.”
Here is the public hearing schedule:
- Nov. 16: Dansville Middle School Auditorium, 31 Clara Barton St., Dansville, NY 14437
- Nov. 17: The Forum Theatre, 236 Washington Street, Binghamton, NY, 13901
- Nov. 29: Sullivan County Community College, Seelig Theatre, 112 College Rd, Loch Sheldrake, NY 12759
- Nov. 30: Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street, New York, NY, 10007
And if you want to submit a comment to the DEC, you can do so here. Or mail it into this address:
Attn: dSGEIS Comments
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-6510
Siena: Cuomo Still Popular, Gillibrand Possibly Vulnerable
Sep 27th - 9:30 am
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s gravity-defying favorability rating has reached a new height of 72-18, up from 69-22 last month, according to today’s Siena poll.
A majority of New Yorkers continue to rate the job Cuomo is doing so far as “excellent” or “good,” but his overall job performance rating fell slightly over the last month to 55-43 from 58-40. Seven in 10 voters gave him high marks for his response to tropical storms Irene and Lee.
Things aren’t looking quite so rosy for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, whom some Republicans have insisted is more vulnerable to a strong challenge next fall if only a strong opponent – other than the little-known Nassau County comptroller, George Maragos – would emerge.
Despite the fact that she has been in office for more than two years and decisively won her first statewide election last year, three in 10 voters still say they don’t know enough about Gillibrand to have an opinion of her.
Almost half of those who do know her – including a small plurality of Republicans – view her favorably, and her numbers are strongest upstate, (54-23), which is unusual for a Democrat, although perhaps not for one who started her career as a Blue Dog congresswoman in the GOP-dominated NY-20.
A majority of Democrats, 55 percent, are prepared to re-elect Gillibrand next year. However, by a 32-49 percent margin, Republicans say they would prefer ‘someone else’ over her. Independents are evenly divided.
“Is the junior senator vulnerable? At this point only 37 percent of voters both view her favorably and are inclined to re-elect her while 21 percent see Gillibrand unfavorably and prefer someone else,” said Siena spokesman Steve Greenberg.
“Seventeen percent rest in the double ‘don’t know’ category, both on favorability and re-election. Right now, Gillibrand is ahead. But, she is well below 50 percent of strong supporters while a sizable percentage of New York voters currently do not know where they stand and could go either way come November 2012.”
On the controversial issue of hydrofracking, New Yorkers continue to trust the opposition (51-33, compared to 54-33 in July) more than they supporters.
At the moment, 44 percent say they favor the DEC’s inclination to allow drilling in the Marcellus, while 40 percent are opposed. That’s about the same as two months ago, too, when the numbers stood at 45-43.
IOGA Touts Latest Q-Poll On Fracking
Sep 21st - 4:10 pm
The Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York is boasting the latest statewide survey on hydrofracking as another reason to allow natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
“Once again, a sampling of the public demonstrates that most New Yorkers favor increased natural gas development in the Southern Tier,” said Brad Gill, IOGA of NY executive director.
IOGA sees the poll as an indication that the majority of New Yorkers have sifted through the facts and have come out on its side on the issue.
“This is remarkable, given the tremendous amount of misinformation that has been issued about our industry in New York,” Gill added.
“We remain hopeful that New Yorkers are seeing through the distorted statements, myths and fictions, and instead will rely on science and record of performance to form their own opinions.”
The numbers are a bit skewed if examined by region. Statewide, voters approve the controversial drilling process 45-41, saying they believe the economic benefits outweigh environmental concerns.
Although, that number is a bit inverted upstate, where drilling would occur. Only 43 percent of upstaters support the idea, with 47 percent opposed. New York City is split on the issue at 41-41.
DEC’s Revised Hydrofracking Report Postponed
Aug 31st - 11:39 am
The revised draft review of the impact of high-volume hydraulic fracturing, due out today, has been postponed because of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s focus on the aftermath of Irene.
“DEC continues to be focused on hurricane response and recovery,” said DEC spokeswoman Emily DeSantis in an email. “Therefore, we will release the revised draft SGEIS next week.”
The SGEIS, or Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement, is a review of potential regulations for hydrofracking, a natural gas extraction process that involves blasting a mixture of chemicals and water underground in order to access the gas underneath.
The agency has been coordinating disaster response in areas hit by the storm, and in recent days have been focusing on debris removal.
Environmentalists had hoped the 1,000-page report would have included an extension of the 60-day public comment period. The DEC has stressed that no permits would be granted for any hydrofracking activities until next year at the earliest.
IOGA Educates On Hydrofracking
Aug 25th - 10:23 am
The Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York is stepping up efforts to educate New Yorkers about the financial benefits that come from increasing natural gas development throughout upstate. Today the released the first in what they say will be a series of videos in an attempt to sway public opinion in their favor.
“It is IOGA of NY’s educational and ethical obligation to communicate with the public, other stakeholders and elected officials by offering fact-based informational materials and presentations,” said Brad Gill, IOGA of NY’s executive director. “‘Fuel for Thought’ is one way we can continue to do that and, at the same time, highlight the great benefits that increased natural gas development will have on New York, its residents and communities.
The move comes after our most recent NY1/YNN/Marist poll found that voters were split on the issue, with 32% supporting the controversial drilling technique, and 37% opposing it.
EPA Proposes Tighter Air Pollution Standards For Gas Drilling
Jul 29th - 12:56 pm
The Environmental Protection Agency today proposed tightened restrictions on air pollution for natural gas extration in shale.
The move was cheered by some Democratic members of Congress who are sponsoring a bill aimed at providing tighter environmental safeguards for water and air when it comes to hydraulic fracturing.
“I applaud the EPA for making the right decision,” U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey said in a statement. “Air pollution that results from gas drilling should not be exempt from baseline standards designed to protect public health and the environment. Families in New York and throughout the country shouldn’t have to worry that their kids are breathing in toxic air polluted by a neighboring frack drilling operation. This is one step of many that must be taken to help curtail the risks associated with hydraulic fracturing.”
The move comes as New York is undergoing its review of possibly allowing high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale formation of the Southern Tier. The process commonly known as hydrofracking involves blasting a mixture of chemicals and water underground in order to extract natural gas underneath.
Business groups and the gas-drilling industry claim it could be a boon for the economically troubled area, but environmentalists have sounded concerns over the process.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation issued its preliminary draft supplemental evaluation of its guidelines for possible high-volume fracking permitting in New York. DEC Commissioner Joe Martens has said no permits would be issued this year for high-volume fracking and the draft report goes to a 60-day public comment period later this summer.
For now, it’s unclear how the EPA guidelines will fit within the state’s effort.
“We are currently reviewing EPA’s proposal and will refrain from commenting until our review is complete,” said DEC spokeswoman Emily DeSantis.
Enviros Air Ten Fracking Concerns
Jul 19th - 1:03 pm
Environmental Advocates of New York and a coalition of advocacy organizations have compiled a list of concerns they have with the Department of Environmental Conservation’s draft regulations for high-volume hydraulic fracturing, saying the overall enforcement “lacks teeth.”
“No matter how diligent the Department of Environmental Conservation is, and how many experts double-check the agency’s work, there is an entropy factor that we really can’t plan for. There’s a big risk in allowing this industry to operate here. Every New Yorker needs to think carefully about whether the reward is worth the risk,” said Deborah Goldberg, Managing Attorney with Earthjustice.
The process, commonly known as hydrofracking, involves blasting chemicals and water into the ground in order to extract natural gas reserves. High-volume fracking is under consideration for the state’s Southern Tier region in the Marcellus Shale, where energy companies say it can be a financial boon to the moribound upstate economy.
But environmentalists believe the process can damage the water table and want the energy companies to reveal what is in their fracking fluid.
The DEC tried to thread the needle with these concerns, by proposing regulations that would ban high-volume fracking in the New York City and Syracuse watersheds and requiring companies to reveal some of the ingredients used in fracking, save for the ones protected by trade secret.
The DEC’s report goes to a public comment period later this summer. Commissioner Joe Martens has said no permits would be granted this year. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he’s reviewing the report.
But environmentalists say the DEC fails to ban certain chemicals, even ones it knows to be carcinogenic, no or does it allow the drilling waste to be treated as hazardous waste.
At the same time, the DEC’s recent spate of layoffs could hobble the agency with permit enforcement, a claim Cuomo administration officials strongly deny.
Their full top 10 list after the jump.
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