Sen. Thompson to DEC: Extend hydrofracking comment period

State Sen. Antoine Thompson (D-Erie/Niagara) wants DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis to extend the comment period on the DEC’s proposed regs on the natural gas drilling process known as hydrofracking. The current deadline, which expires tomorrow, was pushed back from Nov. 30; Thompson wants to extend it to the end of February.

“Gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale beneath New York State opens up tremendous opportunities, but also poses risks to the health, welfare and pocketbook of New Yorkers if not done properly,” Thompson said in a statement.

The 800-page Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement examines the potential impacts from horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing. While the industry claims the process is safe and effective, environmental groups and regulators point to the massive amount of water it uses and the need to come up with a manageable technique for removing chemicals from that water after drilling is complete.

In November, Senator Thompson toured pre- and post-drilling sites in Pennsylvania and spoke with local residents affected by hydrofracking. “After visiting our southern neighbor it became clear that every aspect and angle of this process needs to be reviewed,” he said in a statement.

  1. De nallen says:

    What if he drill, hydrofracture with sand & non-toxic chemicals and retrieve the plentiful and cheap natural gas and…
    worry about the water cleanup later?

  2. ballbustr says:

    The agencies should require that a trust fund be set up by the drilling companies up front, so that money from this fund can be used to remediate environmental damage, if needed. This is warranted by the fact that hydrofracking has already been demonstrated to cause contamination elsewhere. This option is far better than requiring people whose water supplies have been polluted to sue the companies later, and having the case tied up in court for twenty years while the lawyers rake it in.

  3. floydianslip says:

    #1, I really hope the above comment was sarcasam. Do you live in those areas where they want to drill?…Would you like your drinking water contaiminated with not only the frak fluids but the heavy salt brine, methane, and potential radioactive elements found in the Marcellus Shale?

    Or what about water that can be lit on fire coming out of the faucet like in Colorado? How about New Mexico has placed a morotorium on gas drilling because of the spill and accidents that have been happening. Penn. has already had its share of problems with spills and accidents yet people like YOU want to drill baby drill and harvest a temporary resource which is used to hear our homes and drive our cars, while damagaing another resource which is used to sustain all life on this planet.

  4. Pickle O'Tickle says:

    It is abundantly clear that the gas folks have no idea how the State of New York works, especially when it comes to the PR and Public Policy Arenas. They are getting rolled and are losing the public perception war.

    Too funny…. We are sitting on a gold mine and the environmental crazies are dictating our state’s energy policies–Looks like judy Enck and Iwanowicz are at it again….

    Memo to the gas companies—-GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!

  5. Jim says:

    NYS needs to pursue this gift of energy (along with a massive reduction in NYS government “workforce”) to return the state to fiscal health. The enviro-weenies will assault horizontal drilling to the point of making it cost ineffective unless we put political pressure on what we call a “legislature”.

  6. wadefarrgodeaux says:

    I, for one, cannot find a legitimate job in Mr. Thompson’s resume. And now, the rocket scientist, Brockport history major, is qualified to voice his opinion on hydrofracking, based on what? “toured pre- and post-drilling sites in Pennsylvania and spoke with local residents”.

    Anybody been to Buffalo lately? It is the wild, wild, west!!!!!!!!!!

  7. Keep Dreaming Master Mind! Check out the total number of private
    homes which have had to have costly filtering systems installed
    THAT are paid for By New York State DEC! The period of these systems
    go on for decades!

    The filtered water for the most part is not used for cooking or
    drinking! And best it’s ALL PAID FOR BY OUR TAXES!

    Did Mommy tell you the flies die after you bit their wings off?

  8. Jim Smithers says:

    NY has a great opportunity here to generate revenues for debt repayment. combine drilling for natural gas with extensive NYS government cuts and we might be able to recover as a viable state.

  9. Rumorhasit says:

    … these wells would require BILLIONS of GALLONS of water to be cleaned…one to three million gallons are used PER WELL..and they anticipate 2-3,000 wells….the drillers mix the water with chemicals, including carcinogenics, but thanks to Bush Administration, they are EXEMPT from EPA environmental laws, so they do NOT have to disclose the chemicals used…how does the reader suggest we CLEAN our ground water, whose veins run up to 7 miles?…ask the people of North Brookfield NY whose water wells became geysers and contaimnated the community’s water…from just one well…the answer is COMPROMISE & EDUCATION on both sides of this issue….there is no RUSH on this issue..take a look at the DVD SPLIT ESTATE and get an idea of what this countryside will look like in two to five years…when we have destroyed the Water and Countryside, our most precious commodity…welcome to the THIRD WORLD of Upstate New York !

  10. Big Red says:

    Obviously someone wrote up the statement for Thompson, considering there is the use of words with more than three letters.

  11. eddie s says:

    First of all, aren’t their rules, regulations and laws already in place, or has another State Agency been neglecting their Duties and Responsiblities?? So how about just enforcing what is already there..So if their are just what is Senator Thompson running off at the mouth about? Is he jsut Grandstanding or what???

    Second, is this just another shakedown of an industry that as soon as the proper amount is deposited in the proper account all objections will fade away?

    Thirdly, why are New Yorkers shooting themselves in the foot again, this project has a potential to provide jobs and income for the unemployed and taxes to the State who will waste the money anyway on more Pork Barrel projects for a select few…

  12. Carl Gottstein Jr. says:

    I dont care what “environmental groups and regulators ” point to, I say its cheap. Its New clean New York Industry, Its our natural resource. We shoulkd be getting a tax windfall like alaska residents. Why not call in Sara Palin, I understand she did a great job cutting a deal with the big oil interests in Alaska. They could come in cover cost, and share profit with the state residents of New York, We could use the money. And we are sitting on a HUGE gas resurve. I love it! Get the gas, and tell those anti free markett anal environmental groups and regulators stfu, we are drillin! Welcome to 2010 : )

  13. floydianslip says:

    #12 of course you don’t care, and that is why you should STFU because you have no idea what you are talking about. Environmentalists are not anti-free market; a misconception that your type likes to spew, clean water is a choice that we as Americans should always have.

    Unlike you, I have followed this topic since the Spring of 2008 and industry has stated that most of the jobs that will be created are residule, and high paying skilled jobs will go to out of state employees of the company. I have that document in hand if you want to see it. Gas companies may promise the world to the governor and lease-holders, but they will deliver only what is profitable to them and leave behind a mess.

  14. Down with Pedro says:

    To all those folks urging drilling ASAP – if the Delaware watershed is contamintated and a filtering plant becomes a necessity, will you be the ones to pay the full $4-8 Billion it will cost?

    Yes, we should seek a way that this energy can be tapped, but it needs to be done in a way that does not require us to bear vast costs in the future. That gas will be all gone one day, probably well within many of our lifetimes. The need to live here in NY will likely need to go on long after that – do you think it won;t cost anything to pay for a clean-up?

    How come people who claim to believe in reponsibility are the first to throw it out the window when it comes to the hydrocarbon industry?

  15. Upon the Fifth Day…the Lobbyists all rested their fingers and
    their voices and their arms holding the restuarant doors open for
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    There after all the quickiest, fastest and of course less
    costly methods of obtaining the Corporate Desires became the
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    the Wonderful level them mountain tops to flat plateaus UFO
    landing sites and be Thankful in Coal is King Country!

    “I have a Re-Vision Dream Speech” to follow at 11:00!

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