Another set of comments on the DEC Draft EIS on Gas Drilling
Jeanne Fudala
Special Note: The following is an exclusive analysis being made
available to Catskill Mountainkeeper members, friends and selected
members of the media. It is the first glimpse into the 809 page
environmental statement released on September 30, 2009 by the New York
State DEC. Additional information and analysis will be provided as
available.
Unless Pressure is Brought to Bear - The Just Released DEC
Environmental Statement Clears the Way for Gas Drilling Without
Adequate Protection and Controls
The New York State DEC Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Study
issued Wednesday, September 30, 2009 offered some additional limited
protection concerning the New York City watershed, disclosure of
chemicals being used and in other areas. But overall, this report
clears the way for the commencement of large scale gas drilling in New
York State in 2010 without adequate protection for the general public
in the Catskill region, the New York City watershed, the Catskill Park
and in other environmentally sensitive areas.
"While we are appreciative of the few new controls and protections the
DEC report offers, overall it is dramatically inadequate in offering
reasonable solutions that the public deserves," states Ramsay Adams,
Executive Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. "Unless elected
officials, the media and especially the public speak out powerfully and
quickly the entire state of New York and our region, in particular, is
going to be put at extreme and unnecessary levels of risk."
What the DEC Study Means in Brief:
Inadequate Watershed Protection - The study allows for gas drilling
within the New York City watershed. It also allows for drilling as
close as 1,000 feet from city water tunnels. The report clearly leaves
the water supply for many millions of New Yorkers without adequate
protection. It also leaves the entire Delaware water corridor,
including the major cities of Trenton and Philadelphia without adequate
protection.
No cumulative impact requirement - The ruling stipulates that each
drilling operation will be evaluated as a single event and puts no
limitation on the total number of gas wells that could be developed
within a specific area. This means that there will be no control of the
cumulative impact on air, land, water, wildlife or people. The
document claims that the 1992 GEIS analysis of the cumulative impact
was adequate. This is completely irresponsible and shortsighted. There
has been no real analysis of the broad reaching implications of a full
build out scenario for the nationally important ecological regions of
our state.
Catskill Mountainkeeper seriously questions the provisions and the
state's staffing abilities relative to monitoring and responding to
accidents - The issue of public safety cannot be delegated to local
governments. In the last year and a half since the commencement of
drilling, there have been an extraordinary number of reported accidents
connected to gas drilling in nearby Pennsylvania. It is highly
questionable whether local authorities will be prepared to handle the
wide variety of responsibilities for monitoring and tracking accidents
as well as preparing local police, firefighters and healthcare
institutions to adequately respond to emergencies.
The degree to which data and analysis is shared with the public, in
what forums and how frequently is of great concern - The public is the
most important stakeholder in this process. The impending gas
exploration and drilling is the single biggest industrial undertaking
in the history of New York State. The public interest demands that
comprehensive data and analysis of gas drilling operations be gathered
and shared with the public. It is not at all clear that this
responsibility will be adequately met.
Inadequate plan for the wastewater - There is a valuable tracking
system for the wastewater provided for in the plan, but the fact
remains that we do not have the wastewater infrastructure nor the money
needed to upgrade our deteriorating system to handle today's needs
without gas drilling chemicals and brine heading towards our State's
rivers and streams.
There will be no public hearings for the record. Plans are for public
information sessions to be held, but there is no provision for the
public to make statements for the record at that time. This violates
the spirit of state law and is an attempt to stifle public comments.
The only way for the public to register their comments to the DEC is to
submit written comments at information sessions or to send them online
or through the mail. Catskill Mountainkeeper will facilitate the entry
of comments on their website.
Catskill Mountainkeeper does not believe that gas drilling should
commence until all precautions are in place to ensure that it can be
done safely. Without the proper mitigation and planning to protect
the overall region from chaotic industrialization of our precious
landscape drilling should not begin. The DEC report does not do enough
to ensure that goal. Mountainkeeper will continue to provide the best
analysis possible, push for public disclosure and will consider
possible litigation on behalf of our constituents in the Catskill
region.
"We are urging all elected representatives and residents of New York
State to educate themselves as quickly as possible," states
Mountainkeeper's Ramsay Adams. "When the trucks are rolling it will be
too late to begin to understand the reality of what we've allowed
ourselves to get into. We have to act now. This is our last chance to
do something to mitigate or stop gas drilling."
It is critical that as many members of the public as possible register
in the strongest terms their opinions of the just released
Environmental Impact Statement and their desire that gas drilling does
not commence in New York until safety can be assured.
_______________________________________________
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