Marcellus Shale Press Coverage

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.

Dr. Benjamin Perkus of New York Residents Against Drilling, Erin Heaton Meyer of Chenango Community Action for Renewable Energy, former Mayor Matthew T. Ryan and Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting spoke outside of Binghamton City Hall Monday afternoon. / Steven Howe/Staff Photo

BINGHAMTON — A coalition of organizations opposing fracking in New York met outside City Hall at 38 Hawley St. Monday afternoon to request Gov. Andrew Cuomo withdraw an environmental impact statement which they say is outdated.

The state’s final decision on fracking is meant to be based on the impact statement, a draft of which was first released in September 2009 and revised two years later.

Since that time, new state health reports and scientific research have been published which the statement doesn’t consider, said Walter Hang, who owns Ithaca-based environmental database firm Toxics Targeting, during Monday’s news conference.

“When you look at the document it’s so ancient, it’s so outdated by scientific standards that we believe it simply needs to be withdrawn,” said Hang, of Ithaca.

Former Binghamton Mayor Matthew T. Ryan and representatives from New York Residents Against Drilling and Chenango Community Action for Renewable Energy attended the news conference. The coalition plans to send a letter to Cuomo requesting an updated draft environmental statement with a comprehensive health impact study.

So far, 803 people have signed the letter, according to Toxics Targeting’s website.

In 2012, Cuomo called for a health review on the impact statement before final approval. Former state health commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah resigned in April before the analysis was completed.

The state placed a moratorium on fracking since 2008 and the health department has been reviewing the process since September 2012.

Ryan said state governments have made independent health and environmental impact findings on fracking but no in-depth studies have been made to inform the regulations on the controversial natural gas extraction technique.

“Nobody has ever put together the kind of comprehensive health impact study or environmental impact study that’s needed for this industry,” he said. “New York could get something real right by doing this.”

In a reactionary joint release from pro-fracking group Unshackle Upstate and the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, both groups championed the economic development benefits of natural gas drilling.

“The Southern Tier’s residents and businesses are tired of having their economic futures put at risk by a politically-motivated process,” said Unshackle Upstate Executive Director Brian Sampson.