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Gas Drilling/Hydraulic Fracturing

New York City Update
New York State
Gas Drilling
Action Taken
Resources
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The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that natural resources should be managed as interrelated parts of life-supporting ecosystems. Resources should be conserved and protected to assure their future availability. Pollution of these resources should be controlled in order to preserve the physical, chemical and biological integrity of ecosystems and to protect public health." (Statement on Natural Resources, as Affirmed by the 1986 Convention).

It is to the issue of hydraulic fracturing HF and its effects on public health that Leagues across the country are considering, whether in the majority of US states that have HF or those downwind or downstream. No independent, broad based scientific studies have been conducted on this issue. But, we do know its effects on many individuals such as Jamie Frederick from Coitsville, Ohio, who lives over the same Marcellus Shale that sits under the lower third of New York State. Please listen to her poignant story so you know what experiencing HF personally is and you know what can happen when a well goes bad, water gets contaminated and people get sick.

This film is a wake-up call to get the FRAC Act passed, which requires companies to identify all the chemicals used in the process so that individuals such as Jamie can be appropriately treated by an emergency room doctor or their own doctor. If this process is said to be "safe," as the industry advertises, then there should be no need to keep the identity of the chemicals private. Indeed, with the chemicals known, tests can be performed as to their safety for our health should they enter our water table or our air, filtering to safe levels can be performed, and appropriate filtering plants built. Passing the FRAC Act is essential for our nation's health. This is a non-partisan issue. It is time for a Call to Action to pass the federal FRAC Act. Please watch, share and post the film and write your Senator and Congressman to pass the FRAC Act. Thank you.

New York City Update

Here is a link to the comments submitted to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on January 11, 2012 regarding a moratorium in New York State on issuance of drilling permits for horizontal and vertical wells.

New York State

We actively follow the NY State rulings on drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale which lies under the NYC watershed and infrastructure and attempt to slow down the race to develop this resource until safe State regulations are put in place and our NYC watershed and water infrastructure are protected by advocating for passage of appropriate legislation through members call for action, contacting community newspapers, the Governor (letter was sent before swearing-in ceremony) and the environmental commissions.

Gas Drilling

Gas drilling has been going on since the 1940's. Why are we talking about it now?

Consider the following:

  • Each fracking requires 2.1 to 3 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER. What about water supplies for our citizens? Is this a proper use of the water we need to sustain human life?
  • One to five percent of the water added contains chemicals including cancer-causing and endocrine disrupting chemicals. Federal laws do not require companies to specify exact chemicals and amounts. Why not?
  • 20 to 60% of the chemically laced water remains in the ground and the rest is extracted and must be stored preferably in closed systems rather than open pits. Think of the amount of space required and the possibilities of the chemical water leaching into the ground through spills, pit degradation or transportation.
  • High pressure drilling shakes the land around it and causes earthquakes in some places.
  • Drilling goes on 24 hours for months followed by decades of pumps and compressor noise. The site is brightly lit. Would you want to live nearby? What can be done about this?
  • Lateral fracking allows a single well to have many separate lateral fracks like the spokes of a wheel. How far away is safe for private water wells, aquifers, water sources such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs, aqueducts, water tunnels and pipes? No one knows. No studies have been done.
  • Hundreds of diesel trucks haul water in and fouled water out of the drilling site. Diesel and natural gas escapes. The natural gas escaping is worse than carbon dioxide. The ozone level is affected. With increased density of drilling, how will the ozone level and air quality be affected? No one knows.
  • There have been numerous incidents related to gas drilling operations proving a national study of the safety of this new technology should be made....exploding private wells, fouled wells and streams, air which turns brown every morning when it used to be clear, sick families and animals living near wells with lung disease, kidney and cardiovascular problems.... It is time to regulate.

Gas drilling with this new technology can cause irreparable harm to our water supplies, air, land, health and environment unless it is properly and consistently regulated. Federal Laws need to be put in place and consistent state regulations. Self Regulation by the industry as in the case of oil drilling has not worked.

Our League Has:

  1. United with other Leagues to address concerns regarding the Delaware River Basin proposed regulations without a broad based environmental impact study.
  2. Participated with LWVNYS in Comments on State Regulations (sGEIS) on Gas Drilling, both the 2009 Draft and the Sept. 2011 Revised draft.
  3. Participated in caucus and passage of LWV Resolution on Safe Drilling at National Convention.
  4. Sent a letter to the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), a federal-interstate compact government agency including the states of Pa, NY, NJ, Delaware, which has legal authority over both water quality and water quantity-related issues throughout the basin including New York City's water. We requested them to hold up their regulations until the study on gas drilling near the Delaware River is completed and the EPA study on the effects of gas drilling on water is completed (Fall 2012.)
  5. Sent a letter to Governor Elect Cuomo to hold up State regulations until both of the Delaware River and EPA studies on gas drilling are completed and inform regulations.
  6. Sent a Call to Action for members to encourage the State Assembly to pass a moratorium on gas drilling until May 2011. The State Senate had already passed a similar bill. The Assembly passed this bill.
  7. Sent a letter to Governor Patterson to hold up regulations until the State DEC has time to complete its response to 13,000 comments on the sGEIS in a final GEIS (Government Environmental Impact Statement) on gas drilling. Governor Patterson vetoed the moratorium bill on gas drilling bill and put in place instead an executive order for a moratorium only on vertical and horizontal drilling and extended the moratorium until June 2, 2011. Governor Cuomo extended this extended this Executive Order moratorium until July 1, 2011.
  8. Sent a response to comments on revised draft sGEIS Sept. 2011 on January 11, 2012 specific to NYC's water supply.

Resources:

  1. Department of Environmental Protection Calls for Prohibition on Drilling in the New York City Watershed
    http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/press_releases/09-15pr.shtml
  2. NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) Final Impact Assessment Report of Natural Gas Production in the NYC Watershed by Hazen & Sawyer Environmental Engineers and Scientists
    http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/natural_gas_drilling/12_23_2009_final_assessment_report.pdf
  3. EPA Sees Risks to Water, Workers In New York Fracking Rules
    http://www.propublica.org/article/epa-sees-risks-to-water-workers-in-new-york-fracking-rules/single
  4. Duke Scientific Study Links Flammable Drinking Water to Fracking
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/us/epa-says-hydraulic-fracturing-likely-marred-wyoming-water.html
  5. E.P.A. Links Tainted Water in Wyoming to Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/us/epa-says-hydraulic-fracturing-likely-marred-wyoming-water.html
  6. Methane and the Greenhouse-gas Footprint of Natural Gas from Shale Formations (pdf)
    www.acsf.cornell.edu/2011Howarth-Methane
  7. Ohio Earthquake Likely Caused by Fracking Wastewater
    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ohio-earthquake-likely-caused-by-fracking
  8. Impacts of Gas Drilling on Human and Animal Health
    http://www.psehealthyenergy.org/Impacts_of_Gas_Drilling_on_Human_and_Animal_Health
  9. The Hidden Cost of U.S. Hydraulic Fracturing
    http://www.theecologist.org/trial_investigations/687515/us_natural_gas_drilling_boom_linked_to_pollution_and_social_strife.html
  10. PBS interview with Josh Fox, Director of Gasland
    http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/613/index.html
  11. http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/special_reports/hydrofracking_the_pressure_to_drill/
  12. "Economic Impact of Gas Drilling in the Marcellus Shale: Don't Jump to Conclusions."
    http://catskillcitizens.org/learnmore/bartheco.PDF
  13. "Homeowners and Gas Drilling Leases: Boon or Bust?" by Beth Radow for New York State Bar Association Journal, Nov./Dec. 2011. Homeowners and Gas Drilling Leases - New York State Bar ...
  14. New Data Not So Sunny on U.S. Natural Gas Supply - NYTimes.com

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