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Even more reason to go slow or better yet, just say no to fracking. Put the effort into renewables.
Thanks and get well to my friend Ambivalent!
Damning New Letter from NY State Insider: 'Hydraulic Fracturing as It's Practiced Today Will Contaminate Our Aquifers' | | AlterNet
Seeded on Sun Jan 8, 2012 8:35 PM EST
Article Source: AlterNet.org
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- Public Discussion (16)
a current employee and union representative at the Department for Environmental Conservation (DEC) sounded alarm bells over the under-staffed agency's ability to monitor the industry and to deal with any emergencies if the plan goes ahead
I think we need a better plan than don't worry, be happy. We can't expect that the gas drillers will regulate themselves. Not when there's money to be made.
- 2 votes
#1 - Sun Jan 8, 2012 8:55 PM ESTWe need to start thinking seriously about alternative energy sources. It seems to me that solar is at the ready. I am looking outside right now .....yes, the sun is shining. This nation is filled with educated and environmentally responsible professionals. Maybe we can figure out a better way to harness our energy needs than hydrofracturing - something that won't destroy our waters and natural environments.
Thanks mf for posting this article.
- 3 votes
Thanks for pointing the way.
If we took the money just spent on lobbying by the oil and gas industry and spent it on residential solar panels that alone could make a positive impact. Why does industry, and many politicians insist of pursuing the most environmentally destructive energy sources?
- 3 votes
Many of us knew from the beginning that this issue would come up. We need to really think about continuing to ruin our water supply. it is funny that we have areas fo the country with millions of gallons of natural gas they can be taken out without fracking but there are no pipelines to those areas.
The next generations of Americans will have to deal with our laziness, how sad for them and the future.
- 3 votes
#2 - Mon Jan 9, 2012 1:23 PM ESTThe fracking rush is horribly short-sighted and diverts money and attention from sustainable alternatives. We can't drink gas. Plants and animals can't either. Will we never learn?
- 3 votes
Not when Halliburton and other big companies stand to make a buck at our expense. The long range thought process doesn't exist with these guys - it's the immediate almighty dollar!
Thing is, water is practically finite. Once you destroy something as large as an underground aquifer, there is no way to repair it. What do you do when there is NO WATER left for anyone? We have a lack of water in the West due to over population and drought. When what little is left is poisoned, you're pretty much screwed!
Extremely informative! And scary!!
- 3 votes
Shelby Davenport
I've watched the movie Gasland twice and you're right, it's scary. Last week a local newspaper here ran a big front page article about how fracking was already in NYS (where I live). It was an interview with an industry expert (translation - insider) answering questions about fracking. His comment on Gasland: Entertaining movie but totally overblown. WTF!?
Here in NYS we're fighting hard to turn our current moratorium on hydraulic fracturing with horizontal gas wells into a ban. The pro-fracking folks are saying things like what happened in the west can't happen here, don't worry. Pennsylvania is different, don't worry. BS.
I'll feel terrible for what happened in the west. My understanding is that landowners out there typically do not own the mineral, oil, gas, or water rights to their land so they really can't stop the gas drilling (maybe you could fill us in on that). Here in the east you typically own it all if you own the land I think.
- 3 votes
As far as I know, most of the problems have been as a result of you owning the dirt your house is on, but any gas or mineral rights are up for grabs. So, basically, they can come in, plop a well on your property, start pumping, and it's all good.
Of course they are going to tell you that there is no evil associated with anything they do. The thing of it is, it has happened all over the place! Of course, since you can't directly pin it to fracking (well, you can but they still dispute it), then it doesn't happen.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/amall/incidents_where_hydraulic_frac.html
In New York, they want to set up an industry supported fund to pay for any environmental damage caused by fracking.
The new legislation would require operators to post surety bonds for the natural gas drilling they undertake, so that money would be available if any contamination subsequently occurred, on either public or private property.
The state would also impose a surcharge on drilling permits to supplement the financing available for environmental cleanup, and state regulators could order immediate remediation after a drilling accident, or take control of a contaminated site to initiate emergency cleanup.
Yeah sure - there isn't enough money out there that could repair the damage cause if the Marcellus Aquifer goes. How many states does it provide water to?
- 3 votes
Once an aquifer is polluted no amount of money will be enough to clean it up. Here in NYS it isn't over yet!
BTW - Back to Gasland. One thing that says it all: Industry says fracking doesn't contaminate water but none of their reps would drink from the taps in question.
- 2 votes
Even more reason to go slow or better yet, just say no to fracking. Put the effort into renewables.
NY has a lot of idle old farmland. If Coumo wants an economic development try creating a program to produce methane and other biofuels from growing various grasses, trees, and brush on this land and generating methane from composting or methane and other fuels from pyrolysis of this biomass. And the by product is a good fertilizer on top of that.
I am pleased with the progress we have made on distributed renewable energy with low interest loans through NYSERDA, paid back through the utility on your gas and electric bill and the net metering law both passed in 2011.
- 2 votes
#3 - Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:39 AM ESTGreat ideas and totally feasible. Of course programs like that don't lead to political contributions so probably won't happen.
Of course programs like that don't lead to political contributions so probably won't happen.
Not large ones anyway. But if the residents of rural districts in NY made each made a small contribution to a candidate advocating for this approach, it could add up to a significant sum. And then there are the residents of urban areas that would be reducing their energy bills through their garbage disposal and reducing the amount of radon and daughter isotopes spewing into their kitchens when they cook, like aerosolized lead.
- 1 vote
A place to write in with many letters to choose from, until 12 p.m.today: I sent five pertinent to our area. Click on Catskill Citizens for Energy.
org/story/153724/one_more_day_to_act%3A_gas_drilling_may_begin_in_new_york_soon?
- 1 vote
#4 - Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:47 AM ESThttp://www.alternet.org/story/153724/one_more_day_to_act%3A_gas_drilling_may_begin_in_new_york_soon?akid=8109.239391.J0v0ux&rd=1&t=27
Sorry lost the link somehow.
- 2 votes
Somewhere I read that the number of comments received astonished the DEC. They said before the fracking issue they had never received more than a 1,000 comments on any issue and even that many was rare. This has over 20,000 comments and perhaps more by now. And the comments are heavily against fracking from what I've heard.
- 2 votes
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