It's no secret that Governor Cuomo has been in favor of hydrofracking, at least under certain limited conditions. However, the process, the goal of which is to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation (no relation to Marcel the Shell), can cause the water poured into the rock formations to resurface full of toxic ooze. Now, despite opposition from the legislature, his dreams of firewater and fireworks might come true. Tomorrow, a report will be released that will provide recommendations on how to proceed with the rather fraught practice.
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has been doing his investigative best to make this news a little more palatable to us. In May, he sued the Delaware River Basin Commission to keep them from issuing final regulations until a final environmental was done. This month, he also subpoenaed five of the largest natural-gas drilling companies in the country to see if they were telling the truth about the risks of hydrofracking, or if they were treating the truth as crude to be refined.
Cuomo's gung-ho attitude, however, won out in the end (thanks, fracking lobby). Look, it makes jobs, and it's even, uh, environmentally friendly: “The economic potential from the Marcellus shale could provide a badly needed boost to the economy of the Southern Tier and even many environmentalists agree we want to produce more domestic natural gas that reduces the need for environmentally damaging fuel sources such as coal,” his campaign statement said last year, while adding, “Existing watersheds are sacrosanct, and Andrew Cuomo would not support any drilling that would threaten the state’s major sources of drinking water.” And look, it makes firewater!
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer issued a statement:
Today’s reports indicating the imminent release of the new draft environmental impact statement for hydraulic fracturing in New York State raise crucial environmental and public health related questions for New Yorkers. As documents and other materials from the DEC emerge I, along with many others, will be adding my voice to what I know will be a rigorous public debate. I want to commend the Governor for his continuing sensitivity to this issue and the concerns it has raised across the state.
“However, we do know one thing for certain, and it is troubling: Governor Paterson’s Executive Order #41, which mandated a revised draft environmental impact statement, contains a loophole that is unacceptable to New York City residents. Executive Order #41 states that the DEC may schedule public hearings on this issue in New York City, but does not explicitly require the DEC to collect anything more than written comments.
“Regardless of what the draft environmental impact statement may contain upon its release, it is obvious to me that the State’s review process will be insufficient and incomplete without public hearings in New York City. I call on the Governor to release a schedule of New York City public hearings together with the new draft environmental impact statement so that concerned New Yorkers can be assured that their viewpoints - whatever they may be - will be heard in person and by the Commissioner.”
