New York County

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    New NYC Mayor Comes Out Against Fracking Anywhere in NY

    NYC Mayor Bill De BlasioThe new mayor of New York City, Bill De Blasio, is anti-drilling and proud of it. Yesterday he told reporters he doesn’t want to see fracking anywhere in the state. That De Blasio–wow, what a deep thinker he is! Know where he gets his facts and information from about fracking? Watching movies like Gasland. Such intellectual heft. Such gravitas. The man is clearly smarter than any of the rest of us. Thank God he’s the new mayor.

    Of course, De Blasio apparently doesn’t realize that fracking (of conventional oil and gas wells) happens right now in New York State and has been for over 40 years. But hey, let’s not let something like the truth get in the way of spinning a good fiction for the hoi polloi–us ordinary folks. We’re just so in awe of self righteous jerks intellectual leaders like De Blasio, we simply feel unworthy to be in His presence…
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    Spectra NJ-NY Marcellus Gas Pipeline Goes Online Nov. 1

    It’s been a long road and a long time in coming, but the good news is that starting Nov. 1, residents of New York City will have another 800 million cubic feet of cheap mostly-Marcellus natural gas flowing into the city through Spectra Energy’s 16 mile, $1.2 billion pipeline from New Jersey to New York. The pipeline will flow enough gas to heat 2 million homes in NYC each year. Outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called more natgas for NYC “vital”. Most New Yorkers are in favor of the new pipeline, but that didn’t deter some from trying to stop the new pipeline.

    During construction of the pipeline Spectra had to deal with a lot of nonsense, like protesters who turned into strippers (see NYC Pipeline Protesters Get Naked, Paint Themselves Green), protesters who didn’t even tell themselves they were about to spontaneously break the law (see Nutjob Protester Stops NYC Pipeline Construction for 2 Hours), and groups of protesters like the [In]Sane Energy Project that sued to stop the pipeline (see Judge Tosses Out Lawsuit Against Spectra NYC Pipeline Project). Spectra pressed on through it all and they’re about to turn on the valve Nov. 1. Success at last!…
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    First NY DEC Meeting on Proposed Drilling Regulations Held in Sullivan County

    Middletown Times Herald-Record (Oct 29):
    300 folks pack Sullivan fracking forum

    The first scheduled meeting for public comments on the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) held by the New York DEC happened yesterday in Sullivan County, NY. According to the Middletown Times Herald-Record:

    Most of the speakers in the standing-room-only, mostly anti-drilling crowd of more than 300 at Sullivan County Community College said the proposed Department of Environmental Conservation rules for drilling of the Marcellus shale fall short.

    The anti-drilling standard tactic is to delay drilling in hopes of building support to get it banned altogether. This was evidenced at the meeting. With regard to extending the DEC’s public comment period (which would further delay the start of drilling):

    Paul Rush, deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, called for 45 extra days.

    Joe DiPane of Callicoon called for six months, since the shale “has been formed underground for eons,” he said.

    There are two more scheduled meetings, Nov. 10 in New York City and Nov. 12 in the Binghamton area. A third meeting is yet to be arranged in the Elmira area. (See Public Hearings on the New York Draft SGEIS for Marcellus Shale Drilling for details.) Landowners need to attend and make their voices heard!

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    Public Hearings on the New York Draft SGEIS for Marcellus Shale Drilling

    New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (Oct 13):
    Press Release: DEC Schedules Public Hearings on Marcellus Shale Drilling Draft SGEIS

    Landowners will want to attend the public hearings being held by the New York DEC on the draft regulations for drilling in the Marcellus Shale. The regulations are called the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS). Why attend? To educate yourself on the regulations, and (if you’re so inclined), to offer your comments of support. You can be sure the anti-drillers will be out and vocal–so you need to be out and vocal too if you’re interested in ever seeing drilling commence in New York State. Here are the dates for hearings so far:

    • Wednesday, Oct. 28, Sullivan County Community College, E Building, Seelig Theater, 112 College Rd., Loch Sheldrake, NY 12759.
    • Tuesday, Nov. 10, Stuyvesant High School, High School Auditorium, 345 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10282.
    • Thursday, Nov. 12, Chenango Valley High School, High School Auditorium, 221 Chenango Bridge Rd., Chenango Bridge, NY 13901.
    • Elmira – Corning, TBD.

    The doors will open at 6 p.m. for individual questions and speaker sign up (first come, first called for commenting on the record). The public comment session will start at 7 p.m. Check the DEC web site for possible changes in time or location.

    From the press release:

    DEC staff will be available prior to the start of each session to answer individual questions about the format and contents of the draft SGEIS. The following procedures will guide the public hearings:

    • To accommodate as many people as possible, there will be a five-minute limit on oral presentations.
    • Speakers may supplement their oral presentations with written comments. Written and oral comments receive equal consideration.
    • Formal presentations (PowerPoint, etc.) cannot be accommodated.
    • Individuals intending to speak will be required to sign-in upon arrival and will be called in the order registered.

    To view (or download) the 809-page draft SGEIS, go to this page: www.dec.ny.gov/energy/58440.html