The Department of Environmental Conservation has released new recommendations for hydraulic fracturing that would prohibit it in the New York City and Syracuse watersheds, within primary aquifers, and on state-owned lands-including state parks and forests.
It will, however, but permitted elsewhere "under rigorous and effective controls."
DEC plans to open a 60-day comment period on the regulations in August; by fracking permits can be issued until those comments are considered and the final Environmental Impact Statement is released.
Locally, residents are asking why hydrofracking is considered too dangerous for New York City and Syracuse-but not for the rest of the state.
Currently, 90 percent of the land leased for drilling in Schoharie County is located in Sharon Springs, where some 3,000 acres in the Town of Sharon is under lease.
Residents there are expected to turn out in full force for a meeting tonight, Wednesday, at 6:30pm, when the Town of Sharon considers comments on regulating fracking.
Many there have already voiced their concerns that fracking will damage roads, contaminate wells, and jeopardize efforts to revitalize Sharon's spas.
Others see gas leases as another way to generate income from their land; for some, it's a way to keep their farms in business.
Also planned in Sharon is a talk Monday, July 11, 7pm, at Mary's Church, Route 20 next to the Wal-Mart Distribution Center, by James Northrup, a Cooperstown resident who was formerly a manager at Atlantic Richfield and ARCO and an independent oil and gas producer involved with on- and offshore oil rigs for more than 20 years.
Mr. Northrup will "debunk some myths" about drilling for gas.
"He's a good speaker and we hope he'll help us make a more informed decisions about whether we want hydrofracking in upstate New York," said Lisa Zaccaglini, who along with her husband, Mike Shuster, is leading a fracking awareness campaign in Sharon.
For more information on Mr. Northrup's talk, "The Big Shale Show," contact them at 284-2441.
According to DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens, the revised recommendations would make 85 percent of the state's Marcellus Shale accessible to natural gas extraction.
"This report strikes the right balance between protecting our environment, watersheds, and drinking water and promoting economic development," Mr. Martens said.
The ban of fracking in the NYC and Syracuse watersheds is a reversal of DEC's 2009 draft report, which would have permitted drilling in those watersheds.
The revised regulations include measures for protecting drinking water and air, properly handling 'flowback' water, and identifying the chemicals used in fracking, and calls for additional study of its impacts on local communities.
It also calls for the appointment of an advisory panel to develop an implementation plan.
Initial members of that panel include: Stan Lundine, former State Lieutenant Governor; Kathleen McGinty, former chair of White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Clinton; Eric Goldstein and Kate Sindling, senior attorneys, Natural Resources Defense Council; Robert Hallman, NY League of Conservation Voters; Robert Kennedy Jr., president, Waterkeeper Alliance; Robert Moore, executive director, Environmental Advocates; Mark Brownstein, chief counsel, Energy Program, Environmental Defense Fund; Heather Briccetti, acting president and CEO, Business Council of New York State; Robert Catell, chair, Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center at SUNY Stony Brook; Mark Boling, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, Southwestern Energy; Senator Tom Libous, deputy Majority Leader; and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo.