Former PA Gov. Ed Rendell to NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Lift the Moratorium on Drilling Now
An editorial in today’s New York Post, authored by Lawrence Mone, president of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, makes an impassioned plea to Gov. Andrew Cuomo to lift the moratorium on Marcellus Shale drilling. The Manhattan Institute recently released a study showing the economic benefits of lifting the moratorium (see MDN’s coverage here). In today’s editorial, Mone summarizes those economic benefits this way:
By 2015, the state could enjoy $1.7 billion in added economic activity, 16,000 more jobs and $214 million in extra tax revenue if its natural gas reserves were developed. From 2011 to 2020, New York could gain $11.4 billion in economic output, 90,000 to 108,000 new jobs and $1.4 billion in tax revenues.*
But the real “news” is contained in the very last paragraph of his editorial:
At the Manhattan Institute forum where we released our study, former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell stressed that it was important to "get it right" with regard to rules and regulations—but, at the end of the day, "If Gov. Cuomo asked me my advice about lifting the moratorium, I would tell him the moratorium should be lifted. There’s too much of an upside for New York state and too much of an upside for America." Gov. Cuomo, please give Ed Rendell a call.*
*New York Post (Jun 21, 2011) – Keeping the jobs promise to upstate
I live in Pa. Gas Lands– and our former Governor Rendell should know what is best– he knows how the lust and love of money will supercede any considerations for the enviornmental and health dangers this Gas Industry poses to us —we are being sacrificed for the profit of a few– and Rendell doesn’t want Pa. to be alone in this and want NY to sacrifice his citizens for filthy lucre-!
We have dozens of families over a dozen counties that cannot drink their own, private water or bathe in it since the drilling and have cases now of barium poisioning found in the blood —
Rendell doesn’t have drilling next to his home and can walk away from all this –our air is getting poisoned, also, by the increasing compressor stations and well sites that emit VOC’s , benzene, gasses–Please NY Governor Cuomo , don’t fall for the rich that can escape the contamination that increases for all of us that still live here.
@ Ms. Scroggins you live in the second most polluted state in the union , that achieved this distinction long before any natural gas development began. Where is your PROOF of this alleged poisoning?