Governor Signs Drilling Bill But Orders Environmental Update
Governor David Paterson signed a bill this afternoon to streamline the application process for drilling in New York’s Marcellus Shale, but he also ordered the state to update its 1992 generic environmental impact statement in the process.
The directive comes one day after the release of a joint investigation by ProPublica and WNYC radio into the state’s regulatory and environmental oversight of the gas industry. The report found that the state was relying on a 16-year-old environmental review and had not addressed the large quantities of water needed for the drilling, or the treatment of that water as toxic waste.
In a release that accompanied the announcement of the bill’s signing, Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner Pete Grannis promised that “DEC will be vigilant in ensuring environmental safeguards. Water protection will be a top priority.”
“The update will examine potential impacts from new horizontal drilling techniques, including potential impacts to groundwater, surface water, wetlands, air quality, aesthetics, noise, traffic and community character, as well as cumulative impacts. The update will occur as part of a public process that ensures that concerns raised by residents who could be affected by drilling activities are heard and considered.
“In addition, DEC is reviewing a variety of other areas, including staff resources, existing regulations, jurisdiction over water withdrawals, permit application fees and procedures, and legal and regulatory compliance, that could be implicated by increased drilling activity.”
There’s more to say about what this all really means, so check back for developments tomorrow.
Fracking: Gas Drilling's Environmental Threat
The promise of abundant natural gas is colliding with fears about water contamination.
The Story So Far
The country’s push to find clean domestic energy has zeroed in on natural gas, but cases of water contamination have raised serious questions about the primary drilling method being used. Vast deposits of natural gas, large enough to supply the country for decades, have brought a drilling boom stretching across 31 states. The drilling technique being used, called hydraulic fracturing, shoots water, sand and toxic chemicals into the ground to break up rock and release the gas.
Latest Stories in this Project
Get Updates
Our Hottest Stories
- Bank of America Lied to Homeowners and Rewarded Foreclosures, Former Employees Say
- Time Out: Federal Complaint Alleges Rampant Abuse in Texas Truancy Program
- Worried about the Mass Surveillance? How to Practice Safer Communication
- Walmart Accepted Clothing from Banned Bangladesh Factories
- When Interns Should be Paid: A #ProjectIntern Explainer
- Without a Final Map, New York Rebuilds on Uncertain Ground
- Five Ways Congress is Trying to Curb Rape in the Military
- Objection Overruled: Top Prosecutor Must Testify in Wrongful Conviction Case
- Rape and Other Sexual Violence Prevalent in Juvenile Justice System
- Remember When the Patriot Act Debate Was All About Library Records?
- Bank of America Lied to Homeowners and Rewarded Foreclosures, Former Employees Say
- The NSA Black Hole: 5 Basic Things We Still Don’t Know About the Agency's Snooping
- Walmart Accepted Clothing from Banned Bangladesh Factories
- The Best Stories on the Government’s Growing Surveillance
- Worried about the Mass Surveillance? How to Practice Safer Communication
- Betting Against the Future: How Industry Loses When Interns Go Unpaid
- Five Ways Congress is Trying to Curb Rape in the Military
- A Father’s Day Remembrance
- Unpaid Interns Win Major Ruling in 'Black Swan' Case — Now What?
- Remember When the Patriot Act Debate Was All About Library Records?
