NORWICH – The fate of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas deposits in New York’s Marcellus and Utica shales has been in the hands of the state’s legislature this week and a decision could come as early as today.
A bill, proposed by Sen. Antoine Thompson, D-Buffalo, would place an immediate, one-year moratorium on new natural gas drilling permits until at least June 1, 2011.
The legislation follows an accident at a natural gas well in Pennsylvania on June 3 where unexpectedly high pressure spewed natural gas and drilling fluids out of control. Yesterday, a regulatory board in Pennsylvania approved stricter regulations on drilling in order to safeguard rivers and household water from polluted wastewater. Environmental officials say too much of the pollutants can kill fish and leave a salty taste in drinking water drawn from rivers.
New York’s bill, one of several similar bills addressing the controversial drilling method, was unexpectedly passed by the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee after 5 p.m. on Monday.
An immediate rallying plea from the leadership of the Central New York Landowners Coalition swept through its membership through the week, urging e-mails and phone calls that might sway representatives to oppose the Thompson bill. The measure would mostly affect the Southern Tier of New York where the Marcellus has been targeted by energy corporations.
“The DEC knows the science of drilling – not the politicians! If we want to lease our lands, we need to continue to fight for this. New York and New Yorkers need this industry now! Therefore the importance of communicating to your legislators immediately cannot be over emphasized. All members need to become politically active...,” wrote CNYC President Brian Conover. Conover replaced Richard Lasky who retired this month after leading CNYC from its inception nearly two years ago. The group is the largest landowners’ coalition in the state
The recent bill is welcomed news to members of CDOG, a grassroots organization based in Chenango, Delaware, and Otsego counties. CDOG has supported similar bills before the state’s legislature this spring, including one calling for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing until 120 days after the completion of a report by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. An EPA study on the effects of high water volume horizontal drilling on water quality and public health was initiated earlier this year, and is expected to take two years.
“CDOG advocates for a ban on unconventional gas drilling in New York State. We support this moratorium to give other people the time they need to study the situation and come to understand that we cannot simultaneously protect our health, economy, and environment and allow extreme and desperate drilling techniques to extract fossil fuels tightly trapped in low permeable rocks,” wrote Mike Bernhard in the organization’s May newsletter.
All of the bills to ban hydraulic fracturing come as the state Department of Environmental Conservation is revising regulations for natural gas exploration in the Marcellus. The new regs, in the making for more than two years, are anticipated to be completed by year’s end.
Conover said the effects of any moratorium on Marcellus Shale drilling would cause landowner coalitions to fragment and their strict environment leases to be replaced by generic gas company leases. In addition, he said the family farm would be lost.
“Farmers are suffering a terrible economic crisis. Easily over 10 percent of upstate farms will be out of business in six months. Family farms will be lost forever and sold to people who don’t care about the land and the region,” he said.
The Independent Oil & Gas Industry strongly opposed the bill. “New York’s existing regulations, combined with the pending DEC rule changes, will provide adequate protection to the environment. No further delays are needed,” said Brad Gill, executive director of IOGA of NY.