Washington,
DC –
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee, today called for an extended public comment period on the
natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. New York State released their
Environmental Impact Statement late last month and will begin a series of
public meetings on October 28. Currently, New York State is only providing two
months for public comment. Due to the significance and complexity of this issue
and the high degree of public interest in hydraulic fracturing, Senator
Gillibrand is urging New York State to extend the public comment period to 90
days.
“The
Marcellus Shale represents a tremendous economic opportunity for New York, and
I commend DEC for recognizing the importance of harvesting and producing new
sources of energy to address the growing need for energy throughout the state.
However, our quest for new sources of energy and potential economic
growth should not come at the expense of good, clean air and safe drinking water
for all New Yorkers,” Senator Gillibrand wrote in her letter to New York
Governor David Paterson. “New York has an abundant supply of fresh, clean
water, and we must learn from the accidents that other states have already
experienced to avoid damage to our own precious natural resources.”
Hydraulic fracturing, a common
technique used for drilling oil and gas wells, is a process where fluids are
injected at high pressure into underground rock formations to blast them open
and increase the flow of fossil fuels. Fracking is used to drill for natural
gas from Marcellus Shale in other states. The injections use a mixture of
water and sand, along with a cocktail of chemicals including diesel fuel,
benzene, industrial solvents and other carcinogens and endocrine disrupters.
There have been numerous incidents of well water contamination and spills
related to fracking operations in other states.
Due
to the significance and complexity of this issue and the high degree of public
interest in hydraulic fracturing, Senator Gillibrand is urging New York State
to extend the public comment period to 90 days. She also called on the State to
hold hearings and solicit comments in each of New York’s major cities, as well
as communities directly within affected watersheds. Senator Gillibrand
believes these public hearings are critical to allowing the public an outlet to
provide meaningful comments, and to express concerns and suggestions.
In
addition, Senator Gillibrand is working with Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) on the Fracturing
Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act, which would repeal a
Bush Administration exemption provided for the oil and gas industry and would
require them to disclose the chemicals they use in their hydraulic fracturing
processes. Currently, the oil and gas industry is the only industry granted an
exemption from complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Without additional
federal protections, New York State would be solely responsible to handle
potential adverse impacts associated with high volume hydraulic fracturing in
the Marcellus and Utica shale formations. Congressman Maurice Hinchey is the
sponsor of the House version of this bill.
The FRAC Act is supported by
the following organizations:
New York State
Organizations
Binghamton Regional
Sustainability Coalition
Catskill Citizens for Safe
Energy
Catskill Mountainkeeper
Citizens Campaign for the
Environment
Environment New York
Environmental Advocates of
New York
Hudson Highlands Land Trust
Hudson Riverkeeper
New Yorkers for Sustainable
Energy Statewide
Northeast Organic Farming
Association of New York, Inc.
NYH2O
Orange County Land Trust,
Orange Environment, Inc.
PlanPutnam.Org
Putnam County Coalition to
Preserve Open Space
Scenic Hudson
Shaleshock
The Ramapo River Watershed Intermunicipal
Council
Theodore Gordon Flyfishers,
Inc.
Regional Organizations
Appalachian Mountain Club
Atlantic States Legal
Foundation, Inc.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Delaware River Greenway
Partnership
Delaware Riverkeeper Network
Highlands Coalition
Housatonic Valley Association
National Organizations
American Rivers
Center for Food Safety
Earthjustice
Earthworks/Oil and Gas
Accountability Project
Environment America
Environmental Working Group
Food & Water Watch
International Center for
Technology Assessment
National Alliance for Drilling
Reform
National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense
Council
Public Citizen’s Energy Program
Rural Community Assistance
Partnership, Inc.
The Wilderness Society
Waterkeeper Alliance