Reuters reports that Chesapeake Energy is dropping its court fight to extend gas-drilling leases in parts of New York. At issue were some Chesapeake leases in the Southern Tier, many of which, Reuters said, “were agreed to long before a boom in hydraulic fracturing swept the United States.” | The article says that landowners in […]
fracking
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Don’t get too excited over Chesapeake news
Earlier this week, Reuters scored a massive scoop when it reported that Chesapeake Energy is dropping its court fight to extend gas-drilling leases in parts of New York. At issue were some Chesapeake leases in the Southern Tier, many of which, as Reuters piece put it, “were agreed to long before a boom in hydraulic […]
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Hemlock-Canadice’s watershed moment
The City of Rochester sold approximately 7,000 acres of land around Hemlock and Canadice lakes to the state in 2010 to make sure that the waterfronts remain safe from development. And yet the lakes are currently at the center of a controversy about gas and oil drilling. That’s because the state’s proposed plan to manage […]
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Cornell prof says shale gas is a ‘gangplank to more warming’
Cornell University Professor Anthony Ingraffea has consistently argued that natural gas from high-volume hydraulic fracturing is not as clean as its supporters make it out to be. This week, an editorial by Ingraffea ran in the New York Times and it’s worth a read (if the Times paywall blocks you, just Google “Gangplank to a […]
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Report criticizes campaign contributions by pro-fracking groups
A coalition that’s advocating for public financing of New York elections wants Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Moreland Commission to look into campaign contributions made by pro-fracking groups and lobbyists. Fair Elections New York issued the call yesterday, basing its arguments on a Common Cause/NY analysis of the contributions, which was also released yesterday. Common Cause is a […]
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Contami-Nation: Josh Fox returns to fracking fracas
Matthew Schniper is an arts editor at the Colorado Springs Independent. He also frequently writes about film and sustainability topics. Of all things flammable in the wide world, tap water shouldn’t be one of them. At least that’s the consensus — call it crazy — among environmentalists and fracking foes, for whom the phenomena, supposedly […]
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County Dems renew call for fracking ban
For the second time this week, Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature are calling for a countywide fracking ban. This afternoon, three members of the caucus laid out the framework for their desired ban. They haven’t drafted legislation yet; Minority Leader Carrie Andrews said they’re hoping to work with at least a few Republican legislators […]
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Rochester City Council extends gas-drilling moratorium
Last night, City Council voted to extend a Rochester’s moratorium on natural gas exploration and extraction for another year. The resolution says the city extended the moratorium “in order to preserve and protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents of and visitors to the City of Rochester from known and suspected dangers […]
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GOP legislator backs fracking moratorium
A Republican legislator in Monroe County has concerns about the state’s review of high-volume hydraulic fracturing. Joe Carbone, who represents part of Irondequoit, has submitted a memorializing referral — essentially an official letter of support for state or federal legislation — supporting two state fracking moratorium bills, A5424A and S4236A. The matching bills would prohibit […]
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Feedback 6/5
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Senate Dems push for fracking moratorium
Democrats in the New York State Senate are pushing for legislation to enact a moratorium on shale gas drilling in the state. The Assembly has already passed moratorium legislation, which would ban drilling through May 2015. Yesterday, Senate Dems called on the chamber’s ruling coalition to allow a vote on legislation. A press release sent […]
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Wages only part of ‘frackonomics’ picture
The conservative Empire Center for New York State Policy has released a report that says, predictably, that fracking could boost incomes in 28 New York counties. The report’s authors based their conclusions on data from Pennsylvania counties where Marcellus Shale drilling is occurring. They say that had New York allowed its counties to “fully exploit […]
