On October 19th New York State’s environmental agency will begin enforcing a ban on single use plastic bags at grocery stores and other retailers.
Department of Environmental Conservation
Posted inNews & Opinion
Officials tout Eastman Business Park agreement
Kodak’s bankruptcy filing generated a lot of questions, and some legitimate worries about the future of the Eastman Business Park on West Ridge Road. But some answers are starting to emerge, leaving state and local government and elected officials, as well as business park tenants, more confident in the facility’s future. Some of those answers […]
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The Hemlock-Canadice balancing act
Anti-fracking groups in the Rochester area want the state Department of Environmental Conservation to state strongly and unequivocally that it won’t allow drilling on the Hemlock-Canadice forest lands. And they’re pushing for the state to make the property either a unique area or a state nature and historic preserve — defined designations that limit use […]
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Hemlock-Canadice plan not clear enough on drilling
The State Department of Environmental Conservation received more than 400 comments on its draft plan to manage the Hemlock-Canadice State Forest. The next step is for officials to respond to those comments. The part of the response that will undoubtedly get the bulk of the public’s attention is what officials say about natural gas and […]
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Hemlock-Canadice comment period closed
The comment period for the state’s Hemlock-Canadice forest management plan ended Monday. Now it’s up to Department of Environmental Conservation officials to respond. The DEC received more than 400 comments on the management plan for the Hemlock-Canadice State Forest. Hemlock and Canadice are the only two Finger Lakes with undeveloped shorelines: a distinction they hold […]
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Health review delays fracking regs
It looks like the state may not make its deadline for finalizing fracking regulations (draft regulations are here). But it could begin reviewing well permit applications after it finalizes an environmental statement on the extraction technique. Today, state Health Department Commissioner Nirav Shah sent a letter to Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens, saying […]
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Fracking waste water questions linger
As New York’s environmental review of high-volume hydraulic fracturing progresses, there are still unanswered questions about what happens to the waste water from drilling. It’s unclear whether state municipal water treatment plants would be able to handle heavily contaminated fracking waste. That’s why a recent article on Mother Jones’ website caught my attention. It points […]
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Reports: Draft state document said fracking could be done safely
In a draft analysis prepared early last year, the state Health Department said it believed fracking could be done safely in New York, say reports from a couple of statehouse media organizations. The department also said in the draft that fracking can, as the New York Times puts it, “be done safely within the regulatory […]
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State issues revised fracking regulations
Yesterday, the state Department of Environmental Conservation released a revised version of its proposed regulations for high-volume hydraulic fracturing. The DEC released the regs late in the day, and many of the folks who’ve been studying the regulations haven’t yet commented or shared their impressions. But some environmental groups and fracking critics have rung in, […]
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Another delay in fracking review
A technicality will probably delay New York’s decision on fracking until next year. Recently, state Department of Environmental Commissioner Joseph Martens announced that the state would study the potential health impacts of high-volume hydraulic fracturing. The effort will be led by Dr. Nirav Shah, commissioner of the state Department of Health. But the study means […]
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AP: Strong regulations not enough to prevent drilling problems
Earlier this week, Earthworks released a report criticizing the inspection practices of New York and other states where drilling is occurring. But the folks at Earthworks are not the only ones examining New York’s record of regulatory enforcement of gas and oil drilling. An Associated Press article published yesterday also calls the state’s enforcement efforts […]
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Some fracking stories worth checking out
Over the past few days, several significant news stories about fracking have emerged. In addition to the developments around New York’s review of the technique. Here’s a partial roundup. • A federal judge dismissed state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s lawsuit over fracking regulations for the Delaware River Basin. Schneiderman sued the Delaware River Basin Commission, […]
