For Immediate Release
For Information Contact:
January 4, 2010 Roger Downs 518.426.9144
Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter
NY Legislators Join Environmentalists To Tell Governor Paterson That The NYS DEC Draft SGEIS For Horizontal Drilling And Hydraulic Fracturing for Gas in the Marcellus Shale Is Deeply Flawed
NY legislators and environmentalists unite for first time in opposition to gas drilling document
NEW YORK, NY - New York City, county, state and federal legislators representing districts across the state gathered at a press conference on the steps of New York City Hall Monday, January 4th, 2010, at 11 AM, to voice their concerns with the very serious inadequacies of the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (dSGEIS) issued by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to govern horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations. Many of the speakers called on Governor Paterson to withdraw the document in its entirety and submit a revised document that will satisfy the requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).
Speakers included Congressmen Eric Massa, Michael Arcuri, and Jerrold Nadler, State Senators Tom Duane and Eric Schneiderman, State Assemblymembers James Brennan, William Colton and Brian Kavanagh, Tompkins County Legislator Martha Robertson, NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, NYC Council Chair of the Environmental Protection Committee James Gennaro, NYC Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito and former Council Member Tony Avella, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, and Gregory Meyer, Legislative Counsel for State Senator Jose Serrano, and Wendi Paster, Chief of Staff for Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, read statements of support. Though unable to attend, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Assembly Members Barbara Lifton and Sam Hoyt sent additional statements of support.
Many legislators added their voices to the request made to Governor Paterson last month by 25 environmental organizations asking the Governor to withdraw the dSGEIS. Representatives of five of the environmental groups also spoke at the press conference, including Kate Sinding, NRDC Senior Attorney, who moderated the event as well, Alex Mathiessen, Riverkeeper President, Wes Gillingham, Catskill Mountainkeeper Program Director, Joel Kupferman, New York Environmental Law and Jusice Project, Joe Levine, Co-Founder and Chairman NYH2O, Deborah Goldberg, Earthjustice Managing Attorney, and Annie Wilson, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Energy Committee Chair.
This event marked the first time the environmental community has come together with New York’s legislators at city, county, state and federal levels as one united bloc on the gas drilling issue. Other stakeholders echoing similar concerns are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Steward Council Division 189 of the Public Employees Federation, representing 2000 of the DEC’s scientific, professional, and technical workers. (See quote from article and letter below.)
12/30/09 Times Union article:
“The union representing professional workers at DEC urged Governor Paterson to not allow gas drilling for at least another year to allow the agency to tighten the proposal. According to the letter from Steward Council of Division 189 of the Public Employees Federation, extra time is needed to study what will be done with tainted drilling water, which can contain radiation, salts and dissolved solids. In its proposal, DEC has identified sewage treatment plants as places to process the water, although few treatment plants appear ready to accept it. “Sewage treatment plants must be identified, and technologically modernized, where necessary, to handle contaminated waters,” according to the PEF letter. The letter also urged the state to wait until after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency studies the environmental impact of hydrofracking.” http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=883182#ixzz0bBcvx5T3
EPA 12/31/09 letter to NYSDEC quote:
“EPA believes that the analysis and discussion of cumulative and indirect impacts in the draft SGEIS need to be significantly expanded. Even with its generic format, the draft SGEIS should discuss the impacts that may result from past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future projects as well as those impacts associated with gas drilling and hydro fracturing that may
occur later in time or at a distance from the immediate project site…EPA recommends a very cautious approach in all watershed areas so that NYSDEC can gain experience with, as well as ensure it has the resource capacity for regulating, high volume hydraulic fracturing activities.”
http://www.epa.gov/region2/spmm/Marcellus_dSGEIS_Comment_Letter_plus_Enclosure.pdf.
Susan Lawrence, Chair, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter sent this statement:
“The DEC needs to withdraw the very seriously deficient dSGEIS that does not conform with SEQRA. It needs to instead produce a new dSGEIS, a truly working plan that will cover the cumulative impacts of all aspects of the proposed massive drilling. This is absolutely critical to protect precious water supplies, other natural resources, and public health in our state.”
Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh sent this statement:
“Many of us have already called for banning high-volume hydrofracture gas drilling in the New York City Watershed, but before we permit this massive industrial activity anywhere in our state, we must fully understand and address the risks it poses to our environment, our health, and our quality of life. The review process must include a realistic assessment of the harm caused where this kind of drilling has been permitted.”
Assembly Member Barbara Lifton sent this statement:
“With the disturbing videos that have recently come out, showing serious accidents, spills and contamination that have virtually destroyed the homes and land of a number of New York families…we can no longer say drilling in New York is safe and well-regulated, as we have been assured many times that it is.”
Assemblymember Sam Hoyt sent this statement:
“I share the deep concern that we all have regarding the potential negative impact natural gas hydraulic fracturing could pose to this state’s protected environment. I represent many constituents who fear that invasive hydrofracking will be allowed to occur inside one of this state’s most valuable ecological resources in Allegany State Park…We need to stand united in our opposition to natural gas hydrofracking when the future of our state’s environment is at stake.”
Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal sent this statement:
“I call on the governor to withdraw the environmental impact statement, which has failed to adequately assess the dangers to public health and to the environment associated with the hydraulic fracturing used to extract gas from rock. This folly must be stopped before the state does irreparable, long-term harm in the watershed area and beyond.”
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., sent this statement (see Bronx Borough Board Resolution attached):
“The Bronx Borough Board unequivocally urges Governor Patterson, the New York State Legislature and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to prohibit the use of hydraulic fracturing in the State of New York.”
Martha Robertson, Tompkins County Legislator said:
“Even with the toughest safeguards, is extracting Marcellus gas the smart thing to do? We are told that using natural gas will reduce global warming because it’s ‘cleaner’ than coal. However this is only true if the emissions from extraction are NOT included, and if there are no leaks in the system… Drilling the Marcellus Shale may increase New York’s greenhouse gas emissions, not reduce them. Can we afford to proceed without knowing?”
Congressman Eric Massa said:
“The bottom line is that the DEC’s current proposal for natural gas drilling regulations in New York State will not protect the health of our water resources and our communities. Until the State gets serious about this issue and puts something on the table that will keep the people of my district safe from the threats hydraulic fracturing poses, we cannot allow companies to start drilling thousands of potentially dangerous well projects across the region.”
Kate Sinding, NRDC Senior Attorney said:
“The state’s draft study is fatally flawed and doesn’t come close to protecting New Yorkers from the health or environmental risks associated with fracking. We must not jeopardize safe drinking water in New York. In order to drill responsibly, the Governor has no choice but to start over.”
Alex Matthiessen, President of Riverkeeper said:
“The State’s draft environmental review is deeply flawed and must be withdrawn. Our detailed analysis revealed that in the Governor’s headlong rush to roll out the red carpet for oil and gas companies, the State side-stepped many issues, none more critical than protecting the state’s drinking water.”
Annie Wilson, Chair, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Energy Committee said:
“Intelligent energy policy must not contaminate our watersheds and threaten our public health with toxic substances. Our climate crisis requires that we do not expand fossil fuel infrastructures. We must support activities and policies that promote energy efficiency, conservation, and the use of renewable resources, such as wind, solar, and geothermal.”
NYC Council Member and Chair of Environmental Committee James Gennaro said:
The scientific verdict is in on fracking and the DSGEIS, and we come together today to proclaim it with one voice to the Paterson Administration, and call upon Gov. Paterson to withdraw the DSGEIS and start this process anew with a new perspective - one that prioritizes the preservation of drinking water quality over the production of natural gas.”
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