(((THIS NEWS RELEASE IS DISTRIBUTED ON BEHALF OF THE TOMPKINS COUNTY
COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS 12/24/09.)))
*Municipal Officials Take Local Natural Gas Concerns to Albany*
Representatives of the Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG)
voiced local concerns about the issue of natural gas drilling in the
Marcellus shale, as they met with staff from the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Governor's Office,
and New York State Senate last week in Albany. Attending the meetings
were Caroline Town Supervisor and TCCOG chair Don Barber; Tompkins
County Legislators Martha Roberson and Pam Mackesey; and Ken Zeserson,
Chair of the Ulysses Town Planning Board.
Meeting with Bradley Field, director of the DEC's Division of Mineral
Resources (DMR), Kathleen Sanford, assistant director, DMR, and Liz
Gordon, special counsel with the DEC, the officials delivered hard
copies of the transcript and hand-written comments from last months
Ithaca hearing on gas drilling sponsored by TCCOG, as well as the
resolutions passed by the County, TCCOG, and the County's Strategic
Tourism Planning Board.
TCCOG representatives highlighted the points made in the resolutions
and
urged that any permitting be postponed until the federal Environmental
Protection Agency study on the risks of hydrofracking is completed;
until the DEC has investigated 270 documented incidents related to
conventional drilling in the state and cleaned up any sites that need
it; and has reviewed and improved existing drilling regulations. The
officials also urged that, before issuing permits, the DEC analyze
life-cycle emissions of natural gas, which they suggest may not truly
be
a "cleaner" fuel than coal when emissions related to extraction are
considered.
The TCCOG delegation also met with Peter Iwanowicz, acting secretary
for
the environment in Governor Paterson's office, who requested additional
information regarding potential effects of the horizontal drilling on
greenhouse gas emissions, and with staff from Senator Eric
Schneidermans
office and the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. The Senate
staff also had questions about the carbon footprint of gas versus coal;
projected increases in truck traffic from gas drilling; and lack of
local control and input into the siting and conditions of drilling
operations.
"We appreciate the opportunity these officials gave us to meet with
them
about this important issue and thank them to listening to the concerns
we raised, on behalf of citizens throughout this area," says Legislator
Robertson. "Our group also has been working with Assemblywoman
Barbara
Lifton, who is in the process of setting up meetings in January with
chairs of several Assembly committees to discuss the gas drilling
issue."
/Media contacts: Caroline Town Supervisor Don Barber, TCCOG
Chairperson, 607- 539-3395 or 607- 539- 6928; Tompkins County
Legislator
Martha Robertson, 607-272-0584./
------
Marcia E. Lynch
Public Information Officer
Tompkins County
125 E. Court Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
Tel: 607-274-5555/Fax: 607-274-5558
_______________________________________________
For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please
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