Industrial Gas Drilling Visual (Courtesy of dteenergy.com)
The fifth volume of Riverkeeper's Industrial Gas Drilling Reporter couldn't have been released at a more opportune time. With New York's draft environmental impact statement on drilling in the Marcellus Shale, has come concerns and questions in reference to the negative environmental effects of natural gas drilling on the surrounding ecological and community infrastructures. As James L. Simpson, Riverkeeper Staff Attorney, noted, "Our goal is to educate our members and the general public about what has happened elsewhere [after drilling was undertaken in the shale] and what may happen here in New York. We want to help the public make informed decisions during the public participation component of New York's draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement." Accordingly, the volume delineates the research Riverkeeper has been conducting since the summer of 2008 on potential industrial gas drilling in the state of New York and its possible detrimental outcome. The report is divided into seven sections, which I will briefly outline for a general understanding of the work Riverkeeper has undertaken and the implications of their investigations for our environmental future:
1. Background: The Marcellus Shale, which spans from Tennessee to New York, is a cavernous sedimentary rock formation, part of which lies beneath the New York City Watershed-the source of New Yorker's drinking water. A recent technological innovation called hydraulic fracturing enables drilling companies to extort natural gas from the shale through a process that involves injecting the rock with a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals under high pressure. While this technique might be effective in obtaining natural gas, the environmental impacts are numerous-wastewater disposal, water consumption, usage of toxic chemicals, air pollution, truck traffic, deforestation, water runoff, and possible groundwater and well water contamination.
2. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)'s draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS): This 805-page document is available for public evaluation until December 31, 2009. Aside from submitting comments online or through the mail, passionate citizens are encouraged to attend one of the four public hearings being offered by DEC. Information about how to submit comments, dates and locations of the public hearings, and document text can be accessed at http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/58440.html.
3. Impact of Industrial Gas Drilling Across the County: After citing detrimental aftermath of drilling in Wyoming, Colorado, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Texas, and Ohio, along with viewpoints of concerned citizens and public officials, it becomes evident that effects such as undrinkable water, contamination, sick pets and livestock, and flammable tap water are all possible outcomes of industrial gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale in New York state.
4. Industry Statements: As I noted in last week's blog, Chesapeake Energy will not drill in the NYC Watershed. Moreover, Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC has withdrawn its water permit withdrawal application, Enervest Energy has applied for a water withdrawal permit, Range Resources and Chesapeake Energy have asked the industry to release information about the chemicals used in the drilling process, and Schlumberger, Ltd. has announced its backing of this information's release.
5. Legislative Update: The New York Times advised Congress to close the Halliburton Loophole and pass a bill requiring that the EPA study the dangers of hydraulic fracturing. They also urged Congress to pass the FRAC Act, which would address the loophole and demand disclosure of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.
6. Current Reports and Studies: The National Resource Council released a report on the hidden costs of energy production-"pollution and contamination for which the true costs are borne by the public." In its studies, The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has uncovered many potential impacts from hydraulic fracturing in the NYC Watershed. In the Environment American Report, the dangers that industrial gas drilling pose to drinking water are defined.
7. How to Get Involved: Join Manhattan Borough President Stringer's campaign to stop drilling in the NYC Watershed, attend a rally in NYC November 10th before the only public hearing in the city, submit comments on DEC's draft statement by December 31st, protect your tap water by signing and supporting the "Ban Gas Drilling in the Catskills" campaign, attend Cornell's Natural Gas Summit, and/or contact your congressional representative to support the FRAC Act.
I ask that you take a look at Riverkeeper's Reporter in full, as the abovementioned information is purely a succinct extraction of the invaluable information they have provided. I also urge you to take action, for if industrial gas drilling is allowed in the NYC Watershed, I believe there is a great possibility that New Yorker's can say goodbye to the high quality, unfiltered drinking water on which we have come to rely. Now is the time to learn about this important issue and speak your mind before it is too late.
