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. […]
high-volume hydraulic fracturing
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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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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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AP: Fracking not likely to start in 2013
An Associated Press report says that New York is unlikely to see the start of fracking in 2013, even if the state does green-light the process. The article gives two simple explanations. For one, industry officials expect that if the state OK’s high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in deep shale formations, getting a permit […]
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Poll results show fracking support differs by region
The majority of respondents to a recent Siena Research Institute poll say they support fracking. But there’s a catch. The poll results, which were released yesterday, say that 42 percent of the 822 registered voters polled support fracking and 36 percent oppose it; the numbers were the same in October, the last time Siena asked […]
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DEC to extend fracking review
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is making a move that should prevent it from having to redo its proposed high-volume hydraulic fracturing regulations. The department faces a November 29 deadline for approving the proposed regulations, which it introduced in 2011. But the state is still conducting an environmental review of fracking in shale formations, […]
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Fracking’s insurance issues
Environmental and economic issues have so far dominated New York’s discussion of high-volume hydraulic fracturing. But there are other issues to consider if state officials decide to green-light fracking, including the complex question of insurance. The State Assembly’s Insurance Committee has been studying the implications of fracking on homeowner, mortgage, and title insurance policies for […]
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Proposed county fracking law stalls
For now, Democrats’ proposal to prohibit the county from treating fracking-related waste water won’t move forward. Last night, Republican John Howland, the chair of the County Legislature’s Environment and Public Works committee, referred the proposal to the Brooks administration for further study. He said it’s a complex issue with lots of facts coming from each […]
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Utica’s gassy, but not like Marcellus
Recently, the US Geological Survey released its first estimate of “undiscovered, technically recoverable” natural gas in the Utica Shale: 38 trillion cubic feet. That’s a lot of gas, but for the sake of perspective, the estimate isn’t even half of the USGS estimate for the Marcellus Shale: 84 trillion cubic feet. The federal agency also […]
