Statewide NY

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

NY 2012 Fracking Health Assessment Continues to Reverberate
January 4, 2013

Yesterday’s revelation that early last year the NY State Health Department and the NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) had drawn up a draft 8-page assessment which said fracking is safe for public health in New York continues to reverberate around the state.

There were predictable reactions from both sides of the debate, jockeying to frame the drilling issue before a final final final public health impact review is released sometime later this month (or in February)…

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

2012 NY Assessment – New Fracking Regs Will Protect Public Health
January 3, 2013January 3, 2013

A draft assessment written in early 2012 by the New York State Dept. of Health, at the request of the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), offers us insight into the state’s thinking about potential public health impacts from fracking. The opinion expressed by the health department (and the DEC), at least at that time? If the DEC’s proposed new fracking regulations are adopted, shale drilling would be safe and public health would be protected.

The New York Times and Gannett recently obtained a copy of the previously unpublished assessment. When asked about it, the DEC was quick to distance itself from the “old” and “outdated” assessment:

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

NY Elected Politicians Make Another Try to Stall Fracking
December 31, 2012December 31, 2012

Once again, anti-fracking elected political leaders in New York (people who need to be voted out of office, see their names below) are trying to pressure the waffling Gov. Andrew Cuomo into extending the new public comment period from 30 days to 90 days. A group of them sent a letter to Cuomo and DEC Commissioner Joe Martens requesting the extension (dated Dec. 21, copy of the letter embedded below).

Why do they want to extend it from 30 to 90 days? To force the restart of the entire process of approving new fracking regulations. If the comment period is extended to 90 days, it will go beyond the end of February forcing the restart of the entire process to evaluate and approve new fracking regulations. Restarting the process would effectively kill any fracking in the state—most likely forever.

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

AP: NY Drilling Rules “Likely” to be Released in Feb 2013
December 27, 2012December 27, 2012

What’s this? The mostly-anti-drilling Associated Press appears to be throwing in the towel and admitting the DEC is likely to release new fracking rules in New York in February?! Indeed they are. But at the same time they are only too happy to cast doubt on when drilling might actually begin (hint—don’t plan on it next year):

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

JLCNY Sends Gov. Cuomo a Special ‘Happy New Year’ Card
December 21, 2012December 21, 2012

The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) wants its 77,000 members to keep up the pressure on Gov. Andrew Cuomo—especially over the holiday period—by sending him a very special “Happy New Year” card (see a copy below).

MDN received an email from the JLCNY to its members encouraging them to print out and mail a copy of their special holiday greeting card. In addition, they want members to phone the governor’s office. The message to convey? “We’ve waited long enough.”

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

Common Cause Concocts Sham Report on NY Political Donors
December 21, 2012December 21, 2012

The ultra-liberal Democrat organization called “Common Cause of New York” is pushing a sham analysis of contributions to local political candidates in New York State under the pretense that “Big Oil & Gas” money bought the recent elections in local races. They’re still smarting in the Southern Tier of New York where every single anti-fracking candidate in any race that matters—lost. Pathologically incapable of admitting the truth—that people in the Southern Tier want natural gas drilling—they’ve set about to create the illusion there is a conspiracy—a reason why their candidates lost so badly.

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Anti-Drilling Groups Demand Copy of DEC Health Study
December 19, 2012December 19, 2012

Just a few days in to a 30-day public comment period in New York State for revised fracking rules, a collection of the same old anti-drilling groups with the same old agenda (delay indefinitely in hopes of a ban) sent a letter to State Health Commissioner Nirav Shah and Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens demanding an advance copy of the “health review study” being reviewed by three outside health experts.

The letter (full copy embedded below) says in part:

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New York | Statewide NY

NY Officials Make Plans to Use More Natural Gas
December 17, 2012December 17, 2012

MDN friend Andy Leahy, who writes excellent posts on his NYShaleGasNow.com blog, has done it again. He’s sniffed out documentation from the New York Public Service Commission which maps out a plan for the state to use more natural gas. You read that right! While NY is in the throes of debating whether or not to allow fracking, state officials are making official plans to use more of the very thing fracking would produce—abundantly and cheaply.

Andy points out the following on this quiet-but-profound policy shift:

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

Drill in NY? Republicans Say Yes, Democrats Say No
December 14, 2012December 14, 2012

Quinnipiac University has been busy polling. First they released a new poll of Ohioans and their attitudes toward higher taxes for drilling in that state (see this MDN story), and a day later, they released a poll of New Yorkers asking them whether or not drilling should even be allowed in that state. The results (full copy embedded below) provide the most striking example yet that the entire drilling issue has become politicized in New York.

The poll results, released yesterday, show that 70% of New York’s Republicans support drilling for shale gas and oil (17% are opposed), while only 29% of Democrats support drilling (and 55% are opposed). Overall, the state remains pretty evenly split with 44% supporting drilling and 42% opposed to it.

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

NY Attorney General Investigates Towns Who Won’t Ban Fracking
December 13, 2012December 13, 2012

The out-of-control New York State Attorney General’s office (Eric Schneiderman, AG) continues to be, well, out-of-control. We’ve just learned that in October Schneiderman’s office launched an ethics investigation against board members of several townships in Broome County, NY—board members who voted on a resolution that says, in essence, “We’ll wait for the DEC before we make any decisions about whether or not to allow fracking in the town.” Those resolutions are widely seen as pro-drilling, even though the language is neither pro- nor anti-drilling.

What makes the actions of AG Schneiderman’s office so outrageous is that he has not launched any investigations of board members for towns who have voted to illegally ban fracking, even though those board members have “conflicts of interest” by siding with the environmental groups who have contributed money and manpower to their campaigns! This action by Schneiderman’s office in targeting pro-drillers is detestable, arrogant, and (MDN would argue) an abuse of power. More details…

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

Where to Submit Your Comments on NY’s Revised Fracking Regs
December 13, 2012December 13, 2012

The New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is now accepting comments on proposed revised new rules (click here to view the revised new rules). They will accept comments through Jan. 11, 2013.

The DEC is accepting comments both online and through mail. Here’s how to submit your comments:

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Air Quality | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Statewide NY

7 States Threaten EPA Lawsuit over Methane Emissions
December 12, 2012December 12, 2012

An out-of-control New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is the ring leader for seven northeastern states who say they plan to sue the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to force the EPA to enforce even stricter air emissions rules (if such a thing is possible) to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas drilling. Earlier this year the EPA introduced far stricter rules that require drillers to install expensive new equipment to trap leaking (so-called “fugitive”) methane—perhaps driving some of them out of business in two years when the new rules are fully implemented.

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

NY Begins 30-Day Public Comment Period Wednesday
December 11, 2012December 11, 2012

The starter pistol is ready to be fired. On Wednesday, the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation will begin a 30-day public comment period as part of a 90-day extension on proposed new rules to allow hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for horizontal drilling in the state.

Both sides of the drilling debate are pulling out the big guns to try and influence the outcome:

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Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Norse Energy | Regulation | Statewide NY

Norse Energy Hurt by NY Fracking Delay Files for Bankruptcy
December 10, 2012December 10, 2012

Contrary to what anti-drillers say, lack of drilling in New York does have serious consequences—the latest consequence being the bankruptcy of Norse Energy Corp. MDN has reported over the past several years on Norse, the “little energy company that could” (we had hoped) hang on until New York released new shale drilling rules. But New York’s moratorium has now stretched on nearly 4 1/2 years and frankly, there’s no end in sight.

In mid-November Norse issued a press release saying they would run out of money in December unless they could restructure their debt (see this MDN story). They only had $1.5 million cash on hand at the time. Then, a few weeks later, a judge ordered Norse to put $7.65 million into an escrow account to cover potential losses in a dispute (see this Norse press release). Apparently the escrow judgment pushed Norse over the financial cliff. They’ve now filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection:

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

NY Landowner Group Ramps up Calls/Letter Campaign to Cuomo
December 10, 2012December 10, 2012

The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) launched a new round of phone calls and a letter-writing campaign to encourage Gov. Andrew Cuomo to not delay any further the release of new fracking rules for New York. The JLCNY wants its members and supporters to call and print and mail a draft letter (embedded below).

MDN received the following notice on Saturday:

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Broome County | Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Research | Statewide NY

Lupardo to Martens: What Happened to the NY Fracking Panel?
December 7, 2012December 7, 2012

Binghamton, NY-area Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, a Democrat who so far has been somewhat non-committal on the fracking debate, but who seems to now tilt firmly in the anti-drilling camp, sent a letter to Dept. of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens two days ago. Her letter essentially asks, “What happened to the fracking panel you appointed?” Lupardo is one of the members of the High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Advisory Panel, a group appointed by Martens in July 2011. The panel has not held any meetings since December of last year (see this MDN story).

Lupardo wants the panel to meet again so she can go on the record with her “concerns” about fracking and the health review under way now (see her letter to Martens below).

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