Finally! The big decision that environmentalists have been waiting years for has … been put off ‘til a later date.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that he would not pressure the Department of Environmental Conservation to announce its final decision on whether fracking can be safely used in the near future to extract natural gas.
“When it’s done, and when they’re prepared, that’s when we’ll announce the decision,” Cuomo said to an Albany radio station, Democrat and Chronicle reported. “And remember, the announcing of the decision is not going to be the conclusion. I promise you there will be lawsuits, whatever the decision is. So the day right after the decision, there will be another press conference that says, ‘Now we’re going to step two, which is a series of legal challenges and political challenges, and we’re going to try to get federal legislation and state legislation.”
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a method that involves shooting high-pressure streams of water, sand, and often-toxic chemicals into the ground to get at natural gas reserves that lie 8,000 feet below the surface. While drilling companies contend that the practice is safe, environmental groups worry that the mixture will (and contend that it already has) contaminate groundwater supplies—including, they claim, New York City’s water. Read more about fracking and its potential problems here.
“We don’t know exactly what goes into fracking fluid,” Emily Genser, a senior at NYU majoring in Environmental Studies, said. “But there are known carcinogens. It’s a very, very large risk, and our water is too precious.”
Many anti-fracking advocates fearing the controversial technique’s arrival in their state are receiving Gov. Cuomo’s denial of a speedy decision as encouragement. EcoWatch, a catch-all blog center for grassroots environmental campaigns, called the remarks “an affirmation that pressure from the statewide movement is being felt … Now it seems that the reckless and irresponsible rush to frack has at least slowed and the power of New York’s grassroots anti-fracking movement is giving the governor some pause.”
While the frack-crastination is comforting to some, other activists and environmentalists see Gov. Cuomo’s remarks as just postponing a bad decision—especially in a political climate that has been notoriously wary to broach the subject while energy lobbyists loom large.
“It kind of means he’s saying ‘I’ll decide later, after the election,’” Genser said. “The fossil fuel industry has put a lot of money into buying their politicians.”
Until the long-awaited decision is made, fracking groups are urging New Yorkers to sign a pledge to resist fracking in New York. Sign the pledge here.
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The quotes attributed to Gov. Cuomo in your third paragraph were attributed by other news media NOT to Gov. Cuomo but rather to Brian Smith, spokesman for Citizens Campaign for the Environment. Here are some links to articles attributing the quotes to Smith:
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20120910/NEWS01/309100047
http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/181333/37/Cuomo-No-Pressure-for-Immediate-Fracking-Decision-
There’s no “rush to drill”. With natural gas prices as low as they are, it costs more to extract (dry) gas then its worth. Also, bans against natural gas extraction means more power plants will be burning coal, which is undoubtedly worse for the environment.
@Mary– thanks for catching that, the post has been updated.
Dear Governor Cuomo. If you decide to avoid responsibility of passing a state-wide ban on fracking, you can forget about any further political aspirations. Destroying this great state by allowing the gas companies to frack comes with terrible consequences for us all.
We are waiting for you to have the courage to do what so many other states and the rest of the world are looking to you for; a total state-wide ban on fracking. Nothing short is smart or acceptable. It is far over due to start investing in sustainable energy, which will provide real jobs, energy and prosperity for generations to come.
Are you listening?
The sooner it goes ahead, the BETTER for everyone!!
I no your concern, had the same concern about a year ago in PA. So I went out an got a job on a frac crew. Its nothing like people think it is. The drilling rig, drill w/o fluid til lit clearly gets threw the Aquifier. The Aquifier is only a thousand feet or so, the Earth isnt full of water. After drilled past the Aquifier, its sleeved an cemented. Its cemented from the bottom up. The cement is pumped down the inside of the casing with pressure, wich push the cement up the out side of the casing to the Earth surface. This insures that there is no cracks, air pockets an etc in the cement job. This process keeps whats pumped down the hole in the hole, and keeps the Aquifier out of the hole. Far as the chemicals go? The chemicals you use the wash your car, your bathroom, and cement patios with are worse then what goes into a frac job. Not to mention, the last half of the frac job dosnt contain much of any chemical. The well is pumped with a round about number of 10,000 gallons of water. So the chemical are so diluted to this point, there is much of a risk left. Think about the stuff u pour down ur drains, spray on ur yards, the chemicals farmers spray everyday, an the petro left in road gutters everyday from auto accidents. Now you have some real facts, an not hear say crap from people that havent got a clue what the real story is.