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A call for new fracking data for NYS

07/07/14




Binghamton, NY (WBNG Binghamton) An environmental group is calling on New York to start over on the SGEIS, a DEC document outlining permit regulations for natural gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing.

It has yet to be finalized.

This call comes a week after a court ruling gave power to local governments to decide whether to allow fracking in their own areas should New York approve the regulations.

"The governor has just got to kill this proceeding and start over again," said Walter Hang, president of Toxics Targeting, an environmental database firm in Ithaca.

Hang said the data Governor Andrew Cuomo is using to determine the safety of fracking is just too old.

"It's simply not suitable to base arguably the most important public policy decision on the environment in a generation," said Hang.

In a letter being drafted to the governor, Toxics Targeting calls for the 5-year-old fracking data to be thrown out saying the state needs to start their research over.

"It ignores literally hundreds of recent studies and government investigations," said Hang.

The group also wants a public health study to be done.

"It's never all been put together to see what the real public health impacts of this industry are," said Matt Ryan, former mayor of Binghamton.

The letter being sent to the governor can be found here and their collecting signatures from New Yorkers.

In less than 24 hours, they received more than 800 signatures.

"We would just be horrified if that would be considered old science," said Benjamin Perkus who signed the letter on behalf of New York Residents Against Drilling. "The health impact review that is currently underway is totally inadequate. It's antiquated. It's using old data."

Governor Cuomo hasn't made a public decision on fracking just yet.

Hang said he thinks the Governor will approve it, but the dated data is holding him back.

If the governor doesn't make a decision?

Hang said it'll hurt the governor in his quest for reelection.