New York

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Madison County | New York | Regulation

Guest Post: Anti-Drilling Bias at Lebanon, NY Town Board Meeting [Free]
July 31, 2012July 31, 2012

The following guest viewpoint was written by Bryant La Tourette, a Chenango County landowner, businessman and member of one of the largest landowner coalitions in the Marcellus and Utica Shale region. Bryant has attended 19 town board meetings throughout the shale region, most recently the Town of Lebanon, NY just last week (see this MDN story warning of the impending meeting).

Bryant provides an eyewitness account of what happened at the meeting, including an anti-drilling bias by the town supervisor running the meeting.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

Anti-Fracking Chefs Cook with NatGas for Fundraiser
July 31, 2012July 31, 2012

A column in the New York Daily News by Bill Hammond points out the rank hypocrisy of “Chefs for the Marcellus”—a group of anti-fracking foodies who threw a big fundraiser and cooked up a storm for patrons willing to shell out $125. How did they cook all that delicious food? You guessed it—on stoves that use natural gas, much of it gas provided by hydraulic fracturing—the very thing they’re trying to ban.

Hammond’s excellent column starts this way:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Public Opinion | Statewide NY

Poll of NYers Finds Continued Even Split on Drilling Issue
July 30, 2012July 30, 2012

Last week Quinnipiac University released the survey results for the latest New York State poll they conduct periodically. For some time they have asked the same questions regarding shale gas drilling in the state. The results from the latest survey, along with a summary of previous surveys going back one year, are embedded below.

MDN likes to give you the full, unvarnished survey results so you can see for yourself the language used in the questions, and the breakout of the responses between downstate and upstate. What does the latest survey show? What it’s shown for the past year or more: New Yorkers are divided 50/50 on the question of drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Tompkins County

Warning: Caroline Residents to be Stripped of Property Rights
July 30, 2012July 30, 2012

The Town of Caroline in (where else?) Tompkins County, NY is getting ready to strip away the property rights of their citizens. All that stands in the way is a sham public hearing and a town board vote and poof—the property rights for thousands of residents—guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution—are gone. This is something that is happening (distressingly) with an increasing frequency in New York State.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

Alec Baldwin’s Anti-Fracking (and Entertaining) Blog Post
July 26, 2012July 26, 2012

The anger-challenged actor Alec Baldwin writes an anti-fracking blog post for the Huffington Post. It’s meant to bring pressure on one person: NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The post is incoherent (and narcissistic), as is usual for Baldwin. MDN only mentions and links to it for entertainment value, since you know, Alec is an entertainer (the one job he’s good at—when he’s not in an out-of-control rage).

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Surprising Revelations about Cuomo’s Fracking Plan [FREE]
July 25, 2012July 25, 2012

Gov. Cuomo’s rumored plan to begin horizontal hydraulic fracturing of shale for oil and gas (mostly gas) in New York State is an important issue that threatens to fracture the alliance of those of us on the pro-drilling side of the debate. Many people (including MDN) are rightly outraged that not all landowners in all areas of the state will be given the opportunity to participate in drilling—at lease initially (if you believe the rumors about the governor’s plan).

But a highly placed source with knowledge of both the landowners’ plight and the governor’s thinking recently spoke to MDN to let us know we’re viewing this issue through the wrong end of the telescope and that landowners outside of select counties have not been left out. Let me explain…

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Chenango County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation

2 More NY Southern Tier Towns Vote to Endorse Drilling
July 24, 2012July 23, 2012

Two more townships in Chenango County, NY have passed resolutions supporting whatever plan the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) proposes with respect to horizontal hydraulic fracturing for the Marcellus and Utica Shale. Anti-drillers would say they’ve voted to support drilling, although the resolutions simply state they will leave it up to individuals to decide.

The towns of Coventry and Greene voted to adopt a resolution in favor of drilling. Of the townships located in the Lucky Five Counties (Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Steuben and Tioga) that have voted on the topic of drilling, the vast majority have voted in favor, or more accurately with a neutral resolution saying they won’t ban it.

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Chenango County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation

Sen. Libous Responds to Chenango County, NY Rumor
July 23, 2012July 23, 2012

MDN recently told you about the CNY Landowner’s Coalition sounding the alarm that Chenango County, NY may not be included in the initial hydraulic fracturing “test run” that is rumored to be coming from Gov. Andrew Cuomo (see this MDN story). Coalition members number in the thousands and represent over 240,000 acres of land—the largest single coalition MDN is aware of. So when they mobilized their members to write and call Gov. Cuomo and State Sen. Tom Libous (their representative in Albany), that’s just what happened. And the politicians noticed.

At a recent pro-drilling event, Sen. Libous responded to the rumor that Chenango County would be dropped from the rumored plan to allow fracking in “The Lucky Five” counties:

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Broome County | Delaware County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Schoharie County | Susquehanna County | Williams

Williams Holds Public Sessions for New Constitution Pipeline
July 23, 2012July 23, 2012

MDN editor Jim Willis attended a “meet and greet” session by Williams about their proposed new Constitution Pipeline. This is a first-hand account of that meeting.

Gas production from northeastern Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale is so plentiful, new pipelines are necessary to move it to market. That was the message from Williams Corporation last Wednesday night at the West Windsor Fire Hall located just miles outside of Binghamton, NY.

Williams was on hand to discuss the proposed Constitution Pipeline, a joint venture between Williams and Cabot Oil & Gas to build a 121-mile pipeline from the Marcellus-rich area of Susquehanna County, PA north to Schoharie County, NY.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Livingston County | New York | Regulation

Portage, NY Attorney: Bans are a Form of Regulation
July 20, 2012July 20, 2012

For or against? That’s the question being played out at town board meetings across New York State. And the full question is, “For or against hydraulic fracturing?” As the state Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) gets closer to releasing new drilling regulations for horizontal drilling and fracking, towns are lining up to either ban it (illegal in MDN’s opinion, although the court is still weighing that issue), or to “support it,” which usually means a vote to let the DEC actually issue the new regs before passing judgment.

Somehow, if you vote to wait for the DEC, anti-drillers consider that support. Whatever. One of the latest townships to consider the issue is in western New York—the Town of Portage in Livingston County. The board seems to sense the local political winds are blowing in favor of a ban, but they aren’t acting quick enough for the local anti-drilling zealots who attend every board meeting and complain. What’s interesting about the latest board meeting is not that the board decided to wait, but the admission their attorney let slip in his comments:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Retired NY DEC Director Pans Cuomo Fracking Plan
July 20, 2012July 20, 2012

In a letter to the editor of the Albany Times Union, the retired director of Natural Resources Planning for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Charles Morrison, comes down squarely on the side of anti-drillers. His letter says the rumored plan by Gov. Cuomo to allow test drilling in five Southern Tier counties is a “checkerboard plan” that’s “like something out of a Cracker Jack box.” Sounds to MDN like perhaps retirement is driving Mr. Morrison a little bit crackers himself.

Here’s his letter:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

Alec Baldwin’s Rank Hypocrisy on NY Fracking
July 20, 2012July 20, 2012

Not long ago, Alec Baldwin went to visit his mom in Syracuse (as he often does, like a good boy), and while he was there, he lent his star power to promoting Josh Fox and his anti-fracking propaganda film Gasland at a local screening (see this MDN story).

Alec likes telling everyone else what they can do with their own private property. But what’s this? He doesn’t want to be told what to do with his private property? Hmmm.

It seems Alec wants to build a great big windmill at his home in the Hamptons on Long Island. Problem is, he needs a development permit to build the $100,000 windmill that may save him $2,000 in electric bills (this is how the mind of the liberal works folks). But he’s hit a snag with getting permission to build it. Anyone see the rank hypocrisy here? What’s good for thee is not what’s good for me, when it comes to anger-challenged Alec.

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Madison County | New York

Slottje Alert: Lebanon, NY About to be Fleeced
July 18, 2012July 18, 2012

Danger Will Robinson! You’re about to be fleeced!! Or rather, a warning to the residents and town board members in Lebanon (Madison County), NY—you’re about to be fleeced.

The Lebanon Town Board has invited the husband and wife anti-drilling (and Park Foundation-backed) lawyer team of David and Helen Slottje to address the town about how wonderful a ban on fracking would be. Never mind stripping away private property rights. That old U.S. Constitution is just a filthy, musty old document anyway, ya know.

The fleecing will commence on Saturday, July 28 at 11 am at the Town Office in Lebanon. MDN encourages all liberty-loving Americans in Lebanon to turn out in force to oppose the Slottjes. Carry placards and wave your hands like the antis do when they turn up at a meeting. And make your voices heard.

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Chemung County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

SRBC Restricts Fracking Water Withdrawals in 64 Locations
July 17, 2012July 17, 2012

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), charged with overseeing the rivers and streams that flow into the Susquehanna River, which in turn runs all the way to the Chesapeake Bay, is responsible for issuing permits in their jurisdiction that allow Marcellus Shale drillers to withdraw water for use in hydraulic fracturing. The SRBC takes its job seriously and closely monitors streamflow levels. When the levels get too low due to drought conditions, the water withdrawals stop.

Such was the case yesterday when the SRBC suspended water withdrawals for 64 companies—the vast majority related the shale industry. That’s the most withdrawal restrictions issued by the SRBC since they started permitting for shale water withdrawals in 2008. (The full list, detailed by driller and county, is embedded below).

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Broome County | Guest Post | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York

Guest Post: Media Ignores Major NY Pro-Drilling Event (FREE)
July 17, 2012July 17, 2012

MDN note: The following guest post was submitted by Victor Furman, head of the Sapbush Road Group, a New York landowner coalition in northern Broome and southern Chenango counties. He writes about a major landowner rally in Broome County called Vote4Energy, held at the Broome-Tioga Sports Park near Whitney Point on Sunday, July 15. The rally turned out thousands, dwarfing recent anti-drilling rallies held in the area. The media was invited, but they were a no-show. Vic does a great job of pointing out the hypocrisy.

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Broome County | Chenango County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Battle Royale in NY Townships – Support or Ban Fracking?
July 13, 2012July 13, 2012

Many townships in the Southern Tier area of New York State want Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Department of Environmental Conservation to know they support responsible gas drilling. Tuesday night the town board in Bainbridge (Chenango County) voted to adopt a resolution supporting drilling (if by support you mean let’s wait until the DEC issues its new rules). The towns of Preston and Guilford, also Chenango County, both voted to approve the resolution Wednesday night. The resolution was slated for a vote in both Afton and Oxford townships (again, Chenango County), but MDN does not have details yet on the outcomes there—although it was likely positive.

A copy of the resolution as adopted in May by the Town of Windsor, in Broome County, NY, is embedded below. That same resolution, more or less, is what the other towns are adopting.

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