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Will Gas Drilling Destroy NYC’s Drinking Water?
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's long awaited plan for drilling in the Marcellus Shale was just released. The Shale, which stretches from Ohio to New York is believed to be the country's largest remaining reservoir of natural gas. Drilling has begun in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and there have already been reports of contaminated wells. A recent EPA report also found evidence of toxic chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing in wells drilled in Wyoming.
So what did the DEC SAY?
Well, not so fast. The natural gas industry, with Halliburton leading the charge, has skirted the Clean Water Act for years. They're not about to give up now. Capitalizing on fears of global warming and the growing disdain for fossil fuels, they're pushing gas drilling as a clean, green alternative. And their message seems to be swaying Washington. The new climate bill introduced last week by Sen. John Kerry and Barbara Boxer includes incentives for natural gas.
The clean and green sounds nice. Except, of course, it's not that simple. As viewers of this program will recall, the actual process of fracturing rock to release and pump the gas involves millions of gallons of water mixed with toxic chemicals and sand-- and in New York's case - the watershed that supplies some 9 million people with drinking water.
Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer and several environmental organizations have called for a ban on drilling -- at least in the city's watershed, "Kill the Drill." In their opinion, the risk is just too great.
The DEC however, in an 800 page review requires companies to disclose the chemicals they're using but there is no ban. Reassured? Neither was Scott Stringer -- Pennsylvania and Colorado had special permits and buffer zones too. Human error nonetheless resulted in the pollution of freshwater there.
Gas drilling's not only a threat to the drinking water--also to forests and farmland--and the DEC plan approves storage of toxic wastewater in tanks for decades. There is a comment period. It'll run through November 30. You can find out more here.
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8 Comments so far
Show AllThe right to profit shall not be interfered with. Halliburtun and other such firms are helping to bring energy SECURITY to citizens of Amerca and their making such a sacrifice to keep the peoples safe deserves ample reward.
This will help create Jobs not only in the Oil and Gas Industry, but in the health care industry as more resources will be required to treat people that get sick from drinking water.
It will also help GDP growth in the way of new industries to treat this now polluted resource and firms contracted by Governments to clean up the mess left behind by Energy exploration firms.
The forests and farmlands can be converted into theme parks and casinos that are sure to drive tourism and create jobs.
"And verily I say unto you, that in a land of Rights there shall be one right held sacred over all others! Thou shalt not interfere with the right to PROFIT for that right stems from the Divine" (The Epistle of St Ronald Of Reagan)
"Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer and several environmental organizations have called for a ban on drilling -- at least in the city's watershed, 'Kill the Drill.'"
There would be some poetic justice in seeing the bastards on Wall Street fouling there own water supply.
New Yorkers like to ridicule the people in other parts of the US for being provincial and yet New Yorkers have no concern for environmental (or any other) issues until their asses are bitten.
q
So, will NYC's millions of citizens rise up and protect their own water? I suppose we'll see.
You should taste the tap water coming form the Mon. river right now - and smell the dead fish in Dunkard Creek - and they are only starting the drilling.
The responses from the citizenry? Nothing. The well off buy bottled water at the Giant Eagle. The poor put up with it. The state DEP's budget is being slashed 25%, so the drillers can dump in Pennsylvania or West Virginia with impunity.
Wonder how much Kerry and Boxer got in campaign donations for this little stunt. Ah yes, the Dems sure are environmental protectors.
I expect a strong negative reaction from all New Yorkers.
Folks in the Catskills, where the drilling would occur and in NYC are going to start screaming.
Thing is. Washington doesn't give a shit what you think anymore.
Drill baby drill.
It's nice to know that the citizens of New York are suddenly worried about their water quality, since the people of upstate NY have been sacrificing valuable farm land, economic opportunity and access to their own "open spaces" to ensure water quality for 9 million downstaters for SEVERAL generations now, while most of NYCers think their water comes from the Hudson (god forbid.) But I guess a real threat gets their, and their legislators' attention. We know which NYC/state legislators have been paying attention and who care about anyone north of Bronxville: folks like Deborah Glick for instance. But I guess it takes gas drilling to get the rest of NYC to notice that we've been minding billions of gallons of fresh water in five or six huge reservoirs up here in the Catskills: access to which is restricted for most of US. And all the great farmland is lying beneath them of course. You think we get a lot of economic "windfall" from the city for our sacrifices? Then I would challenge some NYC event planner or "fashion editor" to come make a living up here. Bring boots. And AWD.
Organizers and activists in the Marcellus shale drilling areas can find dramatic evidence of what they face by showing the new film Split Estate which shows what happened with frac drilling in Garfield County here in western Colorado. Go to Democracy Now for September 3, 2009 for a discussion on fracing featuring information from this film. As usual the corporate thugs spin the information for their corporate media buddies to bury or minimize the toxic results of frac drilling on people, land, water and environment, so citizens and activists will need to educate people to resist. As I saw neighbors grow ill, the stench of drilling fluids and burn off from the wells fill the air of the Colorado River valley, and a moonscape of raw drilling pads and gas lines spread ever wider, I knew it was time to get out, as there seemed to be no way to stop the momentum of the beast. Colorado regulatory agencies and Demopublican politicans were largely in the pockets of the drillers. Colorado governor Ritter (D) whores for the resource industries while mouthing environment concern platitudes, doing his copy of the Obama song and dance routine. Hopefully early action in the NE US can develop before getting toxicly steamrolled as happened here.
Anyone interested to know what happens with gas drilling needs to read all of this blog regarding drilling in Texas:
http://txsharon.blogspot.com/
Includes chemicals used in drilling
Air quality study paid for by Dish Texas about the carcinogens released into the air
Poisoning of wells
Here, of course, the authorities tell us it's just salt water while they take money for the drilling rights and wells are poisoned and the air is absolutely horrible.
It's a must read. Please NY, don't go there.