New York

Everyone has noticed it: There’s been a change in New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s position on hydraulic fracturing. It had seemed, for over year, that he was charting a path down the middle. He would allow fracking, eventually. Earlier this year he floated the idea of allowing fracking in a limited fashion in a few locations as a test—to closely watch what happens and to alleviate concerns for those who oppose it. He wanted to prove to everyone that it can be done safely. It was a true “wisdom of Solomon” kind of proposal. What could make more sense?

But politics never makes sense, and politics, not science and facts as the governor has long said, has reared its ugly head. And everyone has noticed it. The question is, what or who changed Andy’s mind? Perhaps we’ll never truly know, but a recent article in the New York Times may give us some insight. In a word, what may have turned Andy against fracking was a family confidant.

Read More “Andrew Cuomo’s Fracking Confidant”

Last Friday MDN reported the prediction that New York’s Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) may well release new drilling rules by Nov. 29 due to an obscure provision in New York law that requires them to adopt said rules one year from the last public hearing (see this MDN story). On Sunday, a DEC spokesperson said the DEC “expects to miss” the Nov. 29 deadline, and in order to avoid restarting the rulemaking process from the beginning, the DEC will hold a public hearing between now and then which in effect restarts the one-year clock ticking all over again.

As reported by the AP:

Read More “NY DEC Dashes Hopes for New Drilling Rules by Nov 29”

Former Gannett reporter and current book author Tom Wilbur (Shale Gas Review) is making a prediction: Gov. Cuomo and the state Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will either release new shale gas drilling rules by November 29, or file an extension and release them by March 1 of next year. Why? Because that’s exactly one year from the date the DEC held its final public hearing on proposed new fracking rules, and according to a “little-known” and obscure state law, they either have to adopt the rules (within one year) or apply for a 90-day extension.

Tom’s anti-drilling buds are telling him they think the state will move forward this year, by November 29.

Read More “Prediction: NY Will Release New Drilling Rules by Nov 29”

MDN wonders: Do organizations like the anti-drilling Earthworks and the Associated Press share the same office space so they can coordinate their attacks on the natural gas industry? Yesterday MDN told you about the shameful new “study” issued by Earthworks attacking the hard and diligent work of state regulators in overseeing oil and gas drilling (see this MDN story).

At the same time Earthworks was lobbing their bomb into the public discourse, a seemingly related media attack was launched by the AP aimed against New York’s oil and gas regulators at the Dept. of Environmental Conservation. The gist of the piece is that regulators are doing such a poor job of overseeing drilling now, how could they possibly handle new shale drilling should the governor (stupidly) allow it to begin. Here’s how the article starts:

Read More “AP Takes Aim at NY State Oil & Gas Regulators”

Although the ongoing moratorium on shale gas drilling in New York State feels like it exited being a Greek tragedy and entered being a Klingon opera a long time ago, MDN feels duty-bound to deliver any small shred of news we come across that impacts the prospects of New York drilling. After all, we live in New York!

Yesterday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo had a few comments for reporters about the “when” question:

Read More “NY Gov. Cuomo Responds to the ‘When’ Question”

On Friday, MDN told you about the latest development in the ongoing Greek tragedy called the New York State moratorium on fracking (see this MDN story). Our take was that Joe Martens’ latest announcement that he has asked NYS Health Commissioner Nirav Shah to conduct a “health impact analysis” of hydraulic fracturing before the DEC will release new drilling rules was a bad sign that fracking in New York will be seriously delayed yet again—well into 2013.

However, landowner groups, led by the Joint Landowner Coalition of New York (the “JLCNY,” representing over 77,000 individual landowners) don’t see it the same way. They believe the path Martens chose in having Nirav Shah do a limited review and not a wide ranging so-called “independent” review—something being pushed by anti-drillers—means the review will not take long and will do a lot to address public concerns over the practice of fracking. The JLCNY supports Martens’ decision.

Read More “NY DEC Com. Martens: Fox in Henhouse, or Crazy Like a Fox?”