Arcuri, Hanna share same opinion on energy policy
UTICA – The two candidates vying to represent New York’s 24th District in the nation’s capital next year may be from opposing parties, but they share the same opinion about the Energy Policy Act of 2005: It’s wrong.
The incumbent, Representative Michael Arcuri, a Democrat, proposed a bill in Dryden on Tuesday that would remove exemptions in the federal policy that enable oil and gas companies to drill without scrutiny under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Lawmakers in New York and Washington began debating the exemptions after reports of ground water contamination questioned whether the high-volume horizontal drilling technique employed to access the Marcellus Shale and other shale formations was safe.
“This amendment will hold big oil and gas to the same environmental standards as every other industry in preventing unnecessary runoff from construction sites that could contaminate our rivers, lakes and streams,” said Arcuri. “By giving them a pass on this important regulation, we're essentially assuming the oil and gas industries will take the necessary environmental precautions on their own. That's the same sort of fast-track approach that led to the BP oil spill.”
The Congressman’s bill, called the Oil Spill Accountability and Environmental Protection Act of 2010, is part of a larger strategy on the part of Arcuri and Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn., to ensure that oil and gas development is conducted in a manner that does not threaten public health or the environment. They view it as closing the loopholes.
Republican Congressional candidate Richard Hanna yesterday said he understands the potential value of accessing natural gas in Upstate New York, however he will not support drilling in New York’s untapped Marcellus Shale reserves unless it is guaranteed to be environmentally safe. Energy companies continue to eye the state’s shale due to its proximity to the high demand markets along the East Coast.
“It is clear at this time that the fracking process is not safe,” Hanna said. “The Energy Policy Act of 2005 included exceptions and provisions for certain oil and gas industries. ... It was wrong then and it is wrong now. Those provisions should have been repealed long ago.”
In light of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Hanna said it is even more necessary that Congress pass a national energy policy.
"It is agonizingly clear that neither the government nor Big Oil was prepared for the eventuality of the disaster in the Gulf," Hanna said. "The lack of government oversight and BP's mismanagement are glaring evidence of our long overdue need to develop a national energy policy that moves us toward sustainable resources. There is plenty of blame to go around with this disaster."
Stormwater runoff permits are required under the Safe Drinking Water Act prior to starting construction sites to prevent the contribution of more sediment runoff than would otherwise be deposited over several decades, causing physical and biological harm to waterways.
Arcuri’s bill, and others like it, would require the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. The industry contends that the chemicals used have been adequately disclosed and that the additional regulation is burdensome.
The incumbent, Representative Michael Arcuri, a Democrat, proposed a bill in Dryden on Tuesday that would remove exemptions in the federal policy that enable oil and gas companies to drill without scrutiny under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Lawmakers in New York and Washington began debating the exemptions after reports of ground water contamination questioned whether the high-volume horizontal drilling technique employed to access the Marcellus Shale and other shale formations was safe.
“This amendment will hold big oil and gas to the same environmental standards as every other industry in preventing unnecessary runoff from construction sites that could contaminate our rivers, lakes and streams,” said Arcuri. “By giving them a pass on this important regulation, we're essentially assuming the oil and gas industries will take the necessary environmental precautions on their own. That's the same sort of fast-track approach that led to the BP oil spill.”
The Congressman’s bill, called the Oil Spill Accountability and Environmental Protection Act of 2010, is part of a larger strategy on the part of Arcuri and Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn., to ensure that oil and gas development is conducted in a manner that does not threaten public health or the environment. They view it as closing the loopholes.
Republican Congressional candidate Richard Hanna yesterday said he understands the potential value of accessing natural gas in Upstate New York, however he will not support drilling in New York’s untapped Marcellus Shale reserves unless it is guaranteed to be environmentally safe. Energy companies continue to eye the state’s shale due to its proximity to the high demand markets along the East Coast.
“It is clear at this time that the fracking process is not safe,” Hanna said. “The Energy Policy Act of 2005 included exceptions and provisions for certain oil and gas industries. ... It was wrong then and it is wrong now. Those provisions should have been repealed long ago.”
In light of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Hanna said it is even more necessary that Congress pass a national energy policy.
"It is agonizingly clear that neither the government nor Big Oil was prepared for the eventuality of the disaster in the Gulf," Hanna said. "The lack of government oversight and BP's mismanagement are glaring evidence of our long overdue need to develop a national energy policy that moves us toward sustainable resources. There is plenty of blame to go around with this disaster."
Stormwater runoff permits are required under the Safe Drinking Water Act prior to starting construction sites to prevent the contribution of more sediment runoff than would otherwise be deposited over several decades, causing physical and biological harm to waterways.
Arcuri’s bill, and others like it, would require the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. The industry contends that the chemicals used have been adequately disclosed and that the additional regulation is burdensome.
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