|
|
|
“Hydrofracking is progress, will take years and probably not be here anyway,” some say. Most people just say, “What is that?” Gas industry commercials say it’s just a new way to get natural gas and will make America more energy independent.
The first two reactions are understandable, as denial and ignorance, are where we begin before studying high-volume, high-pressure, horizontal hydraulic fracturing — hydrofracking. As a conservative, I want to see at least a decade of the independent, critical research of Pennsylvania fracking, and be cautious with site-specific environmental impact statements in the distant future. It’s unscientific to have this one EIS for the varied, unknown, deep geology of the Marcellus and other shale regions of New York. Any novice walking a Finger Lakes gorge can see common, vertical, deep, stress-relief fractures that were removed with the melting of towering glacial ice. We won’t easily give up our health, agriculture, tourism and wineries industries that bring in businesses, sales and income taxes to New York — and ruin the beautiful Finger Lakes region.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is holding its first public hearing (speak three minutes in line) here at our Dansville Middle School, 1-4 and 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16. They want comments on their online draft EIS. We were told each of these times is a separate line, so if you’re on it, be sure to get in Dansville Middle School to speak. Local artists might provide music and local speakers. Study the online draft DEC EIS, come to Dansville Middle School, speak three minutes, feel proud to speak your mind and submit your written comments.
Old gas drilling wasn’t high volume (millions of gallons hazardous waste per well pad, per square mile, brought by 1,000 heavy trucks per well), high pressure (10,000 pounds per square inch compressors running constantly), horizontal miles and fracking of shales by fallible humans, in an out-of-state gas industry with millions of gallons per square mile of untreatable poisonous waste water and drilling material that includes radioactivity coming to the surface.
Here are questions for your governor, DEC and state assemblymen and senators:
- Why is there no comprehensive analysis of cumulative impacts on existing industries of this regional industrial process instead of just one drilling pad, (e.g., using Pennsylvania hydrofracking experiences)?
- Why are there no Public Health Risk Assessments, when hundreds of New York health professionals have grave concerns and cancer is a long-term cost. Pennsylvania has reported many problems, costing clinics and hospitals.
- Why does the DEC refuse to study impacts of pipelines and compressor stations, as well as all Pennsylvania hydrofracking physical, health, transportation, agricultural and social impacts first before bring it onto us?
- Why doesn’t the DEC make new regulations consistent for all gas drilling and tax them at an extremely high rate for destroying our current Finger Lakes region?
- n Why shouldn’t the disposal of fracking waste in municipal wastewater treatment and drillings in landfill facilities be banned?
- Why shouldn’t local ordinances and land use laws come before outside corporate drilling interests (though only a statewide ban would avoid the industry’s attempts to sue, divide and conquer)?
- Why aren’t hazardous chemicals and radioactivity from fracking banned, as poisoning someone is still illegal, right?
“Hydrofracking is progress, will take years and probably not be here anyway,” some say. Most people just say, “What is that?” Gas industry commercials say it’s just a new way to get natural gas and will make America more energy independent.
The first two reactions are understandable, as denial and ignorance, are where we begin before studying high-volume, high-pressure, horizontal hydraulic fracturing — hydrofracking. As a conservative, I want to see at least a decade of the independent, critical research of Pennsylvania fracking, and be cautious with site-specific environmental impact statements in the distant future. It’s unscientific to have this one EIS for the varied, unknown, deep geology of the Marcellus and other shale regions of New York. Any novice walking a Finger Lakes gorge can see common, vertical, deep, stress-relief fractures that were removed with the melting of towering glacial ice. We won’t easily give up our health, agriculture, tourism and wineries industries that bring in businesses, sales and income taxes to New York — and ruin the beautiful Finger Lakes region.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is holding its first public hearing (speak three minutes in line) here at our Dansville Middle School, 1-4 and 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16. They want comments on their online draft EIS. We were told each of these times is a separate line, so if you’re on it, be sure to get in Dansville Middle School to speak. Local artists might provide music and local speakers. Study the online draft DEC EIS, come to Dansville Middle School, speak three minutes, feel proud to speak your mind and submit your written comments.
Old gas drilling wasn’t high volume (millions of gallons hazardous waste per well pad, per square mile, brought by 1,000 heavy trucks per well), high pressure (10,000 pounds per square inch compressors running constantly), horizontal miles and fracking of shales by fallible humans, in an out-of-state gas industry with millions of gallons per square mile of untreatable poisonous waste water and drilling material that includes radioactivity coming to the surface.
Here are questions for your governor, DEC and state assemblymen and senators:
- Why is there no comprehensive analysis of cumulative impacts on existing industries of this regional industrial process instead of just one drilling pad, (e.g., using Pennsylvania hydrofracking experiences)?
- Why are there no Public Health Risk Assessments, when hundreds of New York health professionals have grave concerns and cancer is a long-term cost. Pennsylvania has reported many problems, costing clinics and hospitals.
- Why does the DEC refuse to study impacts of pipelines and compressor stations, as well as all Pennsylvania hydrofracking physical, health, transportation, agricultural and social impacts first before bring it onto us?
- Why doesn’t the DEC make new regulations consistent for all gas drilling and tax them at an extremely high rate for destroying our current Finger Lakes region?
- n Why shouldn’t the disposal of fracking waste in municipal wastewater treatment and drillings in landfill facilities be banned?
- Why shouldn’t local ordinances and land use laws come before outside corporate drilling interests (though only a statewide ban would avoid the industry’s attempts to sue, divide and conquer)?
- Why aren’t hazardous chemicals and radioactivity from fracking banned, as poisoning someone is still illegal, right?
Our DEC isn’t prepared to conserve our health — impacts on children, families or current economy — by permitting this massively industrial process, or our environment. They actually say they exist to permit. Hydrofracking will transform our farming and tourism region by out-of-staters into a boom — followed by, forever — bust-cycle of hydrofracking. Once the well pads are put in, the jobs move on, while the pollution corrupts future generations. Stand up and speak this Wednesday and every day until our New York Senate and Assembly to give us equal protection with the New York City watersheds from out-of-state, heavy industry hydrofrackers. Their deep pockets are open to law-makers, as well as, a revolving door into law and public relations firms. We don’t want to have them legally controlling our good farmland, water, roads and towns, do we? We need immediate New York State protection by a decade-plus, long-term hold on permitting, and suspension of this permissive DEC process. Please show up, speak your three minutes, submit documents and make new friends 1-9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, at Dansville Middle School.
Hal Bauer is a Wayland resident involved with the citizen action group Frack Free Genesee, online at frackfreegenesee.com.
