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Public comment period for proposed drilling nears end

12/29/09





Washington (WSYR-TV) - The Environmental Protection Agency says the state's proposed rules for natural gas drilling need some tweaking.

Friday is the final day to comment on the proposed rules.

In the EPA’s comments the agency says it has serious reservations about whether drilling should be allowed in the New York City watershed.

Its also concerned with wastewater treatment and air quality as well as management of natural radioactive materials disturbed during drilling.




Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - There are just two days left to have your say in the state's proposed regulations for natural gas drilling. If adopted, they'll govern how companies would drill in the Marcellus Shale.

Drilling promises big money for the state but some say the environmental impact is too severe.

Environmentalist Walter Hang has collected eight-thousand signatures against the proposed drilling guidelines. An effort he says lets the governor know that not all New Yorkers are for the plan.

“You need to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to do gas drilling safely. The last thing we need is more problems,” Hang said.

Hang said one of the biggest problems is the effect the drilling would have on drinking water since companies would use a process called hydrofracking which uses high pressured water to fracture shale in the ground and releases the natural gas.

With thousands of wells in New York State, however, supporters of the drilling say it will generate more than $1.4 billion in revenue and tens of thousands of jobs.

There is no reason for us to be buying Louisiana’s natural gas when we can drill under our own feet,” Tim Lattimore said. The former mayor of Auburn is part of a state-wide coalition that supports the drilling.

“If we don't do these things that are available to us if we don't do anything to solve the high cost of energy in NY shame on us,” Lattimore said.

The comment period for these proposed drilling guidelines closes on this Thursday.