Legislative Gazette

Advocates against hydrofracking fear the Southern Tier will be used as a testing ground. Photo by AP.

Toxics Targeting, an environmental database website, has released a letter with more than 1,600 signatures requesting Gov. Andrew Cuomo block a feared three-year hydraulic fracturing test project in the Southern Tier, as well as continue to review the potential environmental impact.

Hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, is the process of blasting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals to break up rock and release natural gas.

"Pressure on Gov. Cuomo continues to build regarding the fate of Marcellus Shale gas extraction in New York," said Toxics Targeting President Walter Hang. "That is why we must make absolutely sure that no wretchedly bad compromise deals are struck to provide political cover for the powers that be."

The three-year hydrofracking demonstration described by the organization – but not widely publicized elsewhere – involves the Department of Environmental Conservation issuing permits for no more than 100 wells annually in the Broome, Tioga and Chemung counties. The wells would be monitored in a few major areas and would be a test to whether hydrofracking is safe.

Walter Hang, president of Toxic Targeting and the organizer of today's protest, said he supports Comptroller DiNapoli's proposal to introduce a Natural Gas Damage Recovery Fund into SGEIS. This proposal, similar to the Oil Spill Fund, would ensure that companies are held responsible for accidents involving natural gas extraction. "The problem with the petroleum spill remediation fund is it doesn't have enough money. There are 140,000 spills in New York that don't meet the applicable standards. [DiNapoli's] current system is woefully inadequate," said Hang.