From the illegal dumping of fracking waste water to popular resistance to corporate water-grabbing.
fracking
Posted inNews & Opinion
Albany County may sue over oil trains
Albany County is preparing to take legal action against the operator of an oil train terminal in the City of Albany. The terminal, which is owned and operated by Global Companies and provides access to the Hudson River, has become a major East Coast oil train hub. Hardly any oil passed through the terminal three […]
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Unsafe at any speed?
A fiery derailment of a CSX oil train in Mount Carbon, West Virginia, in February showed the destructive potential of these trains. Twenty-seven of the train’s 109 oil cars went off the tracks — some catching fire or exploding. A nearby home was destroyed in the fire, which continued to burn for five days. The […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Group’s answer to fracking ban: use propane
The first real test of the state’s newly-enacted fracking ban is on the way. And it’s not, as many supporters and opponents of the ban expected, a lawsuit directly challenging the prohibition. Yesterday, a group of farm owners and Tioga Energy LLC announced plans to file an application with the state to extract natural from […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Feedback 7/8
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EPA issues study on fracking and water
The US Environmental Protection Agency has released a long-awaited draft assessment of high-volume hydraulic fracturing’s impact on water resources. And it’s been interesting to watch the response to the study. The EPA analyzed state and industry well and spill data, which resulted in 20 peer-reviewed scientific reports, according to a news release from the agency. […]
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DEC releases final Hemlock-Canadice plan
Pretty much out of the blue, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has released its final Hemlock-Canadice State Forest unit management plan, and simultaneously announced the addition of 165 acres to the preserve. The state bought the land at Burch Hill Road and County Route 37 in Canadice earlier this month from Barbara Christoff, who wanted to […]
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Landfills may be center of New York’s next fracking battles
New York fracktivists have for years pushed officials to ban state landfills from taking out-of-state fracking waste. The state hasn’t acted, even though the Department of Environmental Conservation decided not to allow high-volume fracking in New York. But the other night, the Albany County Legislature voted to ban landfills in the county from accepting the […]
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Reed bill would compensate property owners for fracking ban
The way that House Representative Tom Reed sees it, the state’s decision to ban fracking has deprived some Southern Tier property owners from realizing the full potential of their land. And he’s said that the state should compensate those landowners for the money they could have made by leasing their land to drilling companies. Now, […]
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The legacy of New York’s fracking decision
New York’s long struggle with fracking is over, except that it isn’t. Next month, the State Department of Environmental Conservation will officially wrap up its review of high-volume hydraulic fracturing, the natural gas extraction technique under review since late 2008. The big news: it intends to prohibit high-volume fracking in New York, DEC Commissioner Joseph […]
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Reed: state should compensate landowners because of fracking decision
House Representative Tom Reed says that the state’s decision on high-volume hydraulic fracturing is “the wrong decision for New York State’s future.” During a conference call this morning, Reed said that the decision is a missed opportunity for the state and that fracking could provide jobs and a boost for the Southern Tier’s depressed economy. […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
New York officials reject fracking
State environmental and public health officials have concluded that high-volume hydraulic fracturing is too risky to allow in New York. In January, the State Department of Environmental Conservation will finalize its environmental statement on high-volume fracking, and as part of that process will officially prohibit the extraction technique in New York. Fracking is used in […]
