Yesterday, a state appeals court upheld two towns’ bans on oil and gas drilling in separate but similar cases. The decisions were cheered by environmental and anti-fracking groups, as well by some elected officials. One case challenged a ban in the Town of Dryden, (decision here) and the other, in the Town of Middlefield (decision […]
fracking
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Judge voids Southern Tier village’s water sales
A judge’s ruling calls for a halt to the Village of Painted Post’s water sales to a Shell subsidiary, SWEPI, LP. The company was using the water to frack wells in Pennsylvania. Under the agreement the village would have received a minimum of $3.2 million over a five-year period. In 2012, Painted Post officials signed […]
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Court cases could decide fate of fracking bans
News broke this week that a state Supreme Court justice upheld the Town of Avon’s ban on fracking. Lenape Resources, a Western New York drilling company, sued the town and the Department of Environmental Conservation to overturn the ban. Several news outlets reported that Avon is the third community whose fracking ban survived a legal […]
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[UPDATED] Shale drilling moratorium on today’s Assembly agenda
This afternoon, the state Assembly passed legislation that would enact a moratorium on drilling in the Marcellus and Utica Shales.
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Southern Tier water case with fracking ties in court today
Local anti-fracking advocates have been trying to draw attention to a court hearing, happening today, in a lawsuit against the Village of Painted Post. Painted Post officials signed a five-year agreement with a Shell subsidiary, allowing the company to withdraw over 1 million gallons of water a day from a local aquifer, says a July […]
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Shale gas drilling moratorium proposed in Assembly
Tomorrow could have been fracking decision day in New York, had the state Department of Environmental Conservation not missed a necessary deadline. Instead, the state’s review of fracking continues. Today, however, a group of Assembly members introduced new legislation that, if passed, would implement a moratorium on drilling in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations. […]
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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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Elected officials voice fracking concerns
As another key deadline approaches in the state’s high-volume hydraulic fracturing review, some local elected officials are speaking out about their concerns with the gas extraction technique. And they’re also sharing their concerns with the state review. Yesterday, a group of the officials, all members of Elected Officials to Protect New York, held a press […]
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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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Brighton pursuing drilling ban
The Town of Brighton is acting to make a temporary ban on natural gas and oil drilling within town limits, including fracking, permanent. At 7 p.m. today, the Brighton Town Board will hold a public hearing on its proposed ban. Town Supervisor Bill Moehle says the board will probably vote on the proposed law at […]
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WEEK AHEAD: Tweet with the RPD, True North expansion, Cuomo and guns
Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard will hold the first in a series of Twitter town halls this week. Participants can offer comments or ask Sheppard a question on any issue of concern, including bullying, gun violence, and gangs. The first town hall is from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 8. You must […]
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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 […]
