Walter Hang's Comments Regarding Executive Order No. 41 - Sign the Petition

Please take a moment to sign the Coalition Letter to Governor Cuomo Regarding Executive Order No. 41: Requiring Further Environmental Review of High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Combined With Horizontal Drilling...


Remember this about saving our clean drinking water supply...


To sign the letter click here...

'Green' Median Project between North and South Conduit Aves. to Take Strain Off Sewers by Lisa L. Colangelo - NY Daily News

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Construction worker labors North and South Conduit Aves. project, which would reduce rainfall flowing into city sewers.

The grassy median between North and South Conduit Aves. in Ozone Park has become a test area for one of the city's largest green infrastructure projects.

The 13,000-square-foot site will be transformed into a natural water filter in an effort to keep stormwater and rainwater from overwhelming the sewer system, according to officials from the city Department of Environmental Protection.

"It's an innovative, ecological, green way to treat stormwater," said John McLaughlin, director of the DEP's Office of Ecological Services. Instead of treating stormwater as waste "it should be viewed as a resource."

As part of the $730,000 project, the grass will be enhanced with trees, wildflowers and shrubs. But the major work will take place below the surface where a bio-retention zone will be created with vegetation, sand and soil.

It is designed to divert about 200,000 gallons of stormwater from existing sewer lines. That's about 90% of the water from a moderate storm.

The project is part of a larger citywide push to find more environmentally-friendly and cheaper ways to cleans stormwater, officials said.

Mayor Bloomberg announced in September the $2.4 billion NYC Green Infrastructure Plan. The goal is to cut the amount of sewer overflows by 40%.

In many parts of the city, stormwater and wastewater are carried through one sewer system. When that system is overwhelmed - often by a influx of stormwater - a mix of the two is discharged into New York Harbor.

The city has been looking for ways to divert some of that stormwater through so-called green roofs and other places where water can be naturally absorbed and cleaned.

The alternative is additional sewer infrastructure, which could cost billions, officials said.

The challenge is finding and creating patches of green, large and small, around the city.

Green spaces have disappeared in Queens and other parts of the city, partly because of overdevelopment. Lawns have been paved over and open tracts of green land have been replaced with commercial and residential buildings.

"One system alone may not make a dent in the combined sewer overflow problem," said DEP Deputy Commissioner Angela Licata. "The idea is to have several of these strategies in an area."

lcolangelo@nydailynews.com

Mark Ruffalo Calls on Governor to Close Hydrofracking Loophole by Olivia Scheck - DNAinfo.com

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Ruffalo called on the governor to expand his recent hydrofracking ban.

Actor Mark Ruffalo was in Midtown Monday imploring the governor to expand his executive order limiting hydrofracking in New York State.

"The Kids Are All Right" star has been an ardent activist against the drilling practice, which injects chemicals into the earth to extract natural gases from irregularly shaped wells.

His efforts paid off last week, when Gov. David Paterson issued an executive order banning horizontal hydrofracking until July 1, 2011 at the earliest, so that further research could be done into the potential dangers of the drilling method.

"You don't take your daughter to the red light district just because times are tough," Ruffalo said, applauding the governor's decision to protect the long-term viability of the water supply. "You make sure what you're doing is safe and then you make money on it."

But Ruffalo and other activists also argued that Paterson's order didn't go far enough, saying it left the door open for vertical hydrofracking, which the governor's office says is a traditional drilling method that has been used safely in the state for 40 years.

Ruffalo and officials including State Sen. Liz Krueger warned Monday that either method could contaminate the water of 12 million out of 19 million New Yorkers.

"This wouldn't be a little problem, this would be a catastrophe," Krueger said.

On the same day that Paterson gave the executive order temporarily banning horizontal hydrofracking, the governor vetoed a more expansive drilling bill, which he said would have prevented any new drilling permits from being issued through May 15th, 2011.

Still, Ruffalo indicated that he was holding out hope that the governor would issue a second executive order during his last days in office to close what he called the "Paterson Loophole."

He and others said they were scheduled to meet with one of the governor's aides following the press event.

"He's got a good heart," the actor said of the outgoing governor.

NYC's Plan To Fix Delaware Aqueduct | New York League of Conservation Voters

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An illustration of the new bypass tunnel in 3-D rendering.

Starting in 2013, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection will build a permanent three-milebypass around the leaking part of an aqueduct that supplies half the city's drinking water. The project is expected to take six years.

Completed in 1944, the Delaware Aqueduct is the world's longest continuous tunnel, and delivers more than 500 million gallons daily from four upstate reservoirs to customers in New York City and Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties.

Since the 1990, DEP has been monitoring leaks of 15 million to 35 million gallons daily in part of the aqueduct that passes through relatively soft limestone where the aqueduct connects West Branch Reservoir in Putnam County to Rondout Reservoir in Ulster County.

The rest of the aqueduct traverses more durable rock formations made of sandstone, shale, gneiss and granite. However, there are several other areas along its route where more minor repairs can and will be made, at the point in the bypass construction project when DEP temporarily shuts down the Delaware Aqueduct.

DEP already has spent $300 million on project planning, and estimates that the bypass tunnel and internal repairs will cost about $1.2 billion. Additionally, the city water agency said it plans to spend another $900 million on "water projects to supplement the city's supply during part of the construction period."

For Leaky New York Aqueduct, Bypass Tunnel Is Planned by Mireya Navarro - NYTimes.com

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Working on the Rondout-West Branch Tunnel of the Delaware Aqueduct in 1942. Cracks have caused flooding in Wawarsing, N.Y., in Ulster County. Photo NYC DEP

New York City plans to build a three-mile-long tunnel to divert water from a leaking aqueduct that carries from the Catskills about half of the city’s drinking water, officials announced on Friday.

The tunnel, to be built under the Hudson River and parts of Dutchess and Orange Counties, will address a problem that has daunted the city since leaks were first discovered in the Delaware Aqueduct in 1988: some 15 million to 35 million gallons of water, coming down from the Catskills, have been escaping daily through cracks.

The tunnel will bypass the worst of two leaks, said Caswell F. Holloway, the city’s environmental commissioner. Construction work is expected to begin in 2013 and be completed by 2019 at a cost of about $1.2 billion, officials with the city’s Department of Environmental Protection said. Officials said that cost, spread out over nine years, was built into the department’s capital program.

For years, the city has faced criticism for its long delays in stanching leaks in two sections of a 45-mile stretch of the aqueduct known as the Rondout-West Branch tunnel, in Orange and Ulster Counties. The cracks in that branch, which was completed in 1944, have caused chronic flooding in the Ulster hamlet of Wawarsing.

Environmental groups accused New York City of dragging its feet, and a 2007 report by the state comptroller criticized city officials for failing to “adequately monitor the extent and nature of the leaks” and to establish “an adequate plan to protect the public in the event of a sudden or imminent substantial loss of water.”

New York City officials countered that they faced a challenge in identifying a way to halt the leaks while enabling them to get enough water to the city. Studies of the problem have involved sending robotic vehicles and deep-sea divers into the aqueduct in recent years to inspect and photograph the cracks.

Their plan calls for constructing a bypass tunnel at depths of 600 to 800 feet from Newburgh, in Orange County, under the Hudson to Wappinger, in Dutchess County. The aqueduct will be shut down for eight months to a year beginning in 2018, to allow workers to connect the tunnel in the last phase of the project.

“We’ve settled on a design for a fix, and we’re moving ahead doing that design and taking steps to address the leak,” Mr. Holloway said in an interview.

The leaking portion of the aqueduct would then be sealed and its use discontinued, the officials said.

During the shutdown, engineers will also enter the aqueduct to repair smaller leaks at Wawarsing from inside the tunnel, the officials said.

The 85-mile-long aqueduct, among the world’s largest, is one of two systems bringing water from upstate reservoirs to eight million residents in New York City and another one million people in Orange, Putnam, Ulster and Westchester Counties. The other is the Catskill system.

The shutdown will require lining up other sources for the 500 million gallons of water that the Delaware Aqueduct carries each day from the Rondout Reservoir in the Catskills. About 290 million gallons would come from the New Croton Aqueduct in Westchester County, which is now used only as a backup water source until a filtration plant in the Bronx is completed in 2012.

The city plans to spend another $900 million in water supply projects to make up for the loss of the aqueduct during construction. It has already spent more than $300 million to prepare for long-term repairs of the aqueduct, as well as better monitoring of tunnel conditions and repair methods.

Designed to last at least a century, the aqueduct’s troubled Rondout-West Branch section, which reaches depths of up to 1,200 feet, developed leaks a few decades after its completion. In the Wawarsing area, the tunnel has cracked along a 500-foot stretch. At Roseton, officials said, the cracks run along 5,000 feet.

Mr. Holloway said the leaks had penetrated the tunnel’s concrete lining but were also found in areas where the branch passed through limestone, which is softer and more vulnerable to water corrosion than the harder rock of sandstone and shale found elsewhere in the tunnel’s path.

But the commissioner said monitoring showed that the amount of water leaking had not increased since 2002 and did not pose the risk of an emergency, like a collapse. “We don’t see a substantial risk of this getting worse,” he said.

In a statement on Friday, the Ulster County administrator, Michael P. Hein, called the plan “a real and substantive solution.”

“In light of the hardships being encountered by the residents of Wawarsing, time is clearly of the essence,” he said, adding that the bypass “will not only eliminate the problem for the residents of Wawarsing, it will have profound economic benefit to our area through job creation.”

Paul Gallay, executive director of Riverkeeper, said the plan was a sensible approach. “It’s a big investment in solving a big problem,” he said, adding that the city should also move to compensate homeowners affected by the leaks for damages suffered.

Mr. Holloway said that other solutions, like bypassing the entire Rondout tunnel altogether, had been considered, but that the idea was dismissed as unnecessary.

“We know where the leaks are and why,” he said.

Another possibility was to drain the aqueduct for a longer time to repair it from within, but that raised uncertainty about how long the aqueduct would be out of service.

“You want to know how long the water is going to be off so you know where the supplemental water is going to come from,” Mr. Holloway said, adding, “It’s absolutely critical to get it right.”

Mark Ruffalo on Hydrofracking in New York

Act to stop gas drilling (hydrofracking) in New York until we are sure it can be done safely without threatening drinking water.

Take action now - Click here...

EPA Wants to Know Chemicals Used in Gas Drilling by Matthew Daly- The Associated Press

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Ron Bishop, lecturer in chemistry and biochemistry at SUNY Oneonta, gives an overview of natural gas extraction technology and explain how water contamination can occur during the gas drilling process.

The Environmental Protection Agency asked nine natural gas companies Thursday to voluntarily disclose the chemical components used in a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing.

The agency said the information is important to its study of the controversial drilling practice, also known as "fracking." Crews inject vast quantities of water, sand and chemicals underground to force open channels in sand and rock formations so oil and natural gas will flow.

The EPA is studying whether the practice affects drinking water and the public health.

Drilling companies have largely sought to protect their chemical formulas, calling them proprietary. Environmentalists are concerned that the chemicals, some of them carcinogens, will taint underground water supplies.

The EPA is taking a new look at fracking as gas drillers swarm to the lucrative Marcellus Shale region in the northeastern United States and blast into other shale formations around the country.

Fracking is exempt from federal regulation. The process is touted as the key to unlocking huge reserves of clean-burning natural gas.

Supporters say the practice is safe, noting that it is done thousands of feet below ground, much deeper than most water sources. They also point out that authorities have yet to link fracking to contaminated drinking water.

The EPA said in March it will study potential human health and water quality threats from fracking.

"By sharing information about the chemicals and methods they are using, these companies will help us make a thorough and efficient review of hydraulic fracturing and determine the best path forward," said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. "Natural gas is an important part of our nation's energy future, and it's critical that the extraction of this valuable natural resource does not come at the expense of safe water and healthy communities."

Letters were sent to nine leading national and regional hydraulic fracturing service providers, including Halliburton, Schlumberger and Key Energy Services.

Chris Tucker, a spokesman for Energy In Depth, a Washington-based group that advocates for the energy industry, said the EPA study offers an important opportunity to demonstrate that fracturing technology is safe, efficient and well-regulated by the states.

"If EPA believes it needs specific information to ensure its study draws on the best science and data available, we're hopeful the agency can coordinate with our members to ensure it has everything it needs, and uses that information in an appropriate way," Tucker said.

The EPA requested the information within 30 days and asked the companies to respond within seven days whether they will provide all of the information. If not, EPA said it is prepared to use its legal authority to force the companies to provide the information.

In Pennsylvania, where the Marcellus Shale is being pursued in a modern-day gas rush, state legislators and environmental regulators are pushing for a law to require drilling companies to disclose what's used at the well sites.

"We have broad right to know about the use of chemicals and discharges of any sort into the environment," said John Hanger, Pennsylvania's environmental protection secretary.

Associated Press writer Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pa., contributed to this report.

Senator Addabbo: Statement on Bill Being Passed To Halt Drilling In Upstate Watershed

NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., a co-sponsor of the Senate bill (S8129B) calling for a moratorium on hydrofracking, or drilling for natural gas reserves in the upstate watershed, today issued the following statement on the bill’s passage after being brought to the floor for a vote last night:

"I believe this bill, which provides for a nine-month moratorium, provides a rational, prudent approach to the practice of hydrofracking. This drilling process has possible short- and long-term health and safety implications and is the subject of a pending DEC report, which needs to be reviewed and evaluated. I look forward to working with the DEC on this issue as we seek to avoid any risks to our environment and personal safety. I thank my constituents for bringing this issue to my attention last year. I also want to thank the hundreds of residents across New York who signed petitions, wrote letters and attended rallies to show Albany that we needed hydrofracking legislation. Your voices were heard and together, we have taken the first step toward protecting our drinking water.

Protecting New York's Water And Holding Gas Corporations Accountable: Senate Bill Mandates Moratorium To Allow For Comprehensive Study Of Drilling In Marcellus Shale | New York State Senate

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Continuing to put public safety over special interests, the Senate Democratic Majority passed a moratorium on gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale to prevent the potentially hazardous contamination of the state’s water supply. Through the moratorium, gas and oil companies would be restricted from hastily endangering the health and economic well-being of more than 12 million local residents who draw their water from the affected area by engaging a process known as hydraulic fracturing or hydro-fracking.

This moratorium (S8129B/Thompson) is effective through May 15, 2011, providing the state much-needed opportunity to fully review the potential side effects of this kind of drilling. Hydro-fracking is the process of breaking apart the rock under the earth, in which some natural resources are trapped, by forcing millions of gallons of waters mixed with chemicals into the ground. These chemicals then work their way into the regular water supply.

The side effects of this process are extraordinarily costly and personally devastating, as families across Pennsylvania and other states have learned after rushing into drilling. On top of the economic and health concerns, there are considerable safety hazards within the untested drilling process; earlier this month a well in Pennsylvania exploded taking two lives. In May, an explosion at another well took another life.

Senator Antoine Thompson (D-parts of Erie and Niagara Counties), chair of the Senate’s Environmental Conservation Committee said, “In a recent round of hearings, the DEC received more than 14,000 comments on this issue. More time is needed to digest those comments and make an informed judgment if adequate safeguards can be put in place to allow hydro-fracking while still protecting our valuable and irreplaceable fresh water. The decisions we make on this issue will determine the economic and environmental vitality of communities across the state for decades to come. In light of the Gulf of Mexico drilling disaster, my colleagues and I believe that a 10 month delay to get it right is prudent and necessary.”

Senate Majority Conference Leader John L. Sampson said, “Keeping New Yorkers safe means preserving the sanctity of their access to clean, drinkable water. We do not need to look any further than the devastation in the Gulf of Mexico to realize that there is no financial benefit worth risking the safety of New York’s water supply. Much of the Southern Tier, Central New York, the Hudson Valley, and New York City all draw their water from the area proposed to be explored from the Marcellus Shale. That is why we must fully understand the impact of drilling, and potential consequences, before breaking ground. I applaud Senator Thompson and the many advocates and residents who fought tirelessly for this legislation.”

Mark Ruffalo, a Hudson Valley homeowner, actor and advocate on this issue said, “As a resident of Sullivan county I am relieved the state senate stepped up to the plate to institute sound, common sense policy on the issue of hydro-fracking. Protecting my family and neighbors and friends is why I have dedicated my time to raising awareness on this issue of critical importance."

Susan Zimet, Co-Director Frack Action and Ulster County Legislator said, "Albany has proven that when the will is there to do the right thing, they can come through with flying colors. Thank you Senator Sampson and the Democratic majority for bringing this critical legislation to the floor for a vote. And a special thank you to those Republican Senators whose vote put this over the top."

Julia Walsh, Co-Director Frack Action said, "I look forward to a swift passage of this bill through the Assembly and the Governor’s signature. By enacting this moratorium New York State once again proves to be a leader on issues affecting the public’s health, welfare and environment"

For more information visit http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S8129B.

Marcellus Shale is a black, low density, organic rich shale that was formed by the sedimentation of marine, mud and clay deposits from ancient river deltas across the Appalachian Basin approximately 350 to 415 million years ago. It exists up to 9,000 feet below ground mainly beneath New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

In order to allow the gas to escape through the pore space, drillers create artificial fractures in the shale, predominately using a method called hydro fracturing by injecting a mixture of water, sand and gel at extremely high pressure to crack and prop open the shale.

Help the Working Family Party Stop Hydro-fracking in NYS Now..!

To stop risky natural gas drilling in New York, we have to get our State Senators back to Albany now.

At the moment, they're on recess for the indefinite future -- but if they don't return and pass a moratorium on hydrofracking ASAP, the first gas drilling permits could be issued this August, and it could be too late to save New York City's drinking water from pollution.

The Working Family Party (WFP) is about to send a letter to every single Senate office around the state, insisting that they return and pass a drilling moratorium right away.

Will you please sign the letter before they send it?

Sign the letter by clicking here...

In June, WFP delivered a 12,000-person petition to Senate Majority Leader John Sampson urging him to bring a moratorium bill to the floor. But Albany was in the middle of intense budget negotiations, and the Senate never got to voting on the bill before they adjourned.

They can still come back and pass a moratorium, but we have to put pressure on EVERY member of the State Senate to make it happen.

Some Senators are worried that if they do the right thing and vote for a ban, the drilling industry will come after them in the fall elections, spending hundreds of thousands to smear their reputations and try to defeat them at the polls.

We need to show these Senators that New Yorkers' grassroots support for a drilling moratorium overwhelms any threats from the drilling industry. The more signers we have on the WFP letter, the clearer that message becomes -- and then they'll make sure every single member of the State Senate gets it.

It really is now or never. I hope you'll sign the WFP  letter today, and ask all of your friends to sign it, too.

Addabbo Pushes Bill to Halt Watershed Drilling by Anna Gustafson - YourNabe.com

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State Sen. Joseph Adabbo said he was inspired to sponsor a bill that would place a moratorium on drilling near the city's water supply after speaking with the director of "Gasland."

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo’s (D-Howard Beach) bill calling for a moratorium on natural gas drilling near the upstate water supply may come up for a vote in the Senate this week, and Queens and city politicians said the legislation’s passage is crucial for the health and safety of 9 million city and Westchester County residents.

The bill would stop any drilling in the watershed, which provides drinking water for the city, until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency completes its study of the effects of natural gas drilling on water and public health. The study began in March and is expected to end within two years.

The legislation would rule out the possibility that companies could use hydraulic fracturing, a process of extracting natural gas that entails injecting up to 5 million gallons of water laced with chemicals into the ground at high pressure to break the rock.

“Let me be clear: I am not against drilling, but I am totally against a process that certainly has questionable ingredients that should not be in our water,” Addabbo said. “Imagine not being able to use your water for fear of drinking carcinogens, plastics and toxins. The danger of hydraulic fracturing so close to the New York City watershed is easy to imagine. Toxic byproduct can seep into our drinking water and turn our once pristine water into a severe health risk.”

According to a report prepared by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, seven states in the country have experienced serious incidents of water contamination and explosions near hydraulic fracturing sites.

The method has been criticized by city government officials and environmentalists who often cite a 2008 report from the U.S. Land Management Bureau that said groundwater in Sublette County, Wyo., which has one of the country’s largest natural gas fields and where hydraulic fracturing was commonly employed, was contaminated with benzene, a substance that has been linked to cancer and nervous system disorders.

Addabbo said his concern over natural gas drilling upstate became more urgent after he met with Josh Fox, the writer and director of the movie “Gasland,” an environmental documentary chronicling the natural gas boom. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and landed a Special Documentary prize.

City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) is interviewed in the film. Gennaro, a longtime advocate against hydraulic fracturing near the watershed, has thrown his support behind Addabbo’s legislation.

Hydraulic fracturing “is completely unregulated by the federal government and poses unacceptable risks to drinking water supplies throughout the country,” said Gennaro, chairman of the Council Environmental Protection Committee.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) is also backing Addabbo’s legislation. A version of Addabbo’s bill is being sponsored by state Assemblyman Steven Englebright (D-East Setauket).

What is Hydrofracking and How Could It Stop Us From Drinking Our Water by Senator Joe Addabbo...

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What is hydrofracking and how could it affect our drinking water even though it takes place over one hundred miles away? I asked myself that same question until a constituent, Brian Dooley, President of the Glendale Property Owners Association, educated me about the process. New York City has some of the cleanest, safest and most reliable drinking water in the country. However, the safety of our drinking water is in danger. Our drinking water is being put in jeopardy by big business oil companies who want to drill for natural gas dangerously close to New York City’s upstate watershed using a process known as hydraulic fracturing, also called hydrofracking.


This drilling process uses toxic chemicals under high pressure in water to break up rock formations deep underground releasing the natural gas. The targeted material for this natural gas drilling runs through approximately eight states including Pennsylvania and upstate New York and is known as the Marcellus Shale. The hydrofracking drilling method requires millions of gallons of water that the United States Department of Energy considers one of the most toxic industrial byproducts produced by gas and oil drilling.^[1] Let me be clear, I am not against drilling, but I am totally against a process that certainly has questionable ingredients that should not be in our water. Recently, I met with Josh Fox, writer and director of the movie Gasland, to discuss this issue and my education and concerns about hydrofracking grew.


The danger of hydraulic fracturing so close to the New York City watershed is easy to imagine. Toxic byproduct can seep into our drinking water and turn our once pristine water into a severe health risk. According to a report prepared by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, entitled Uncalculated Risk, seven states across the country have experienced serious incidents of water contamination and explosions near hydraulic fracturing mines.


Imagine not being able to use your water for fear of drinking carcinogens, plastics, and toxins.


To protect our drinking water I have introduced and sponsored legislation to place a one year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in New York State. We need time to fully understand a report currently being prepared by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regarding the potential dangers of hydraulic fracturing and its possible affects on the New York City watershed. The unknown, long term affects of the components of hydrofracking could be dangerous, if not fatal. Why take a chance with our precious drinking water. We should be certain that New York City’s water supply will not be damaged.


The risks are simply too high to just recklessly move forward with hydraulic fracturing. Over eight million people in New York City rely on clean safe unfiltered surface water collected in the watershed. We cannot put the health of New York City residents at risk. The harm to our city’s and state’s infrastructure, economy, and most importantly public trust far outweigh any benefits of moving forward immediately with hydrofracking.


In the wake of the BP oil spill in the Gulf we have seen firsthand the effects of ignoring common sense safety measures. While I know that upstate landowners stand to make huge amounts of money from the gas companies as they lease their land to allow the drilling and that the process creates jobs, I believe it is irresponsible and dangerous to permit drilling so near our water supply without taking the time to fully understand its ramifications.


Please go to my website here  to sign the petition supporting my legislation calling for a one year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing. Together we can protect our drinking water. 

###

For additional ways to protect our City’s drinking water please call Senator Aaaabbo's  office at 718-738-1111 or 718-497-1630 or email addabbo@senate.state.ny.us

Senator Joe Addabbo Calls for a Moratorium on Hydrofracking in Upstate Watershed...

Wants Halt to Drilling that Affects NYC Drinking Water until EPA Impact Study Is Completed

To protect the drinking water for almost nine million New Yorkers, NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., is sponsoring a bill that calls for a moratorium on drilling for natural gas or “hydrofracking” in the upstate watershed. Currently, the bill sits in the Environmental Conservation committees in both the Senate and the Assembly. It may come up for a vote in the Senate before the end of the current legislative session, scheduled to resume the week of July 12.

What is hydrofracking and how could it affect our drinking water even though it takes place over 100 miles away? Earlier this year, Brian Dooley, President of the Glendale Property Owners Association and Addabbo’s constituent, educated the Senator about the process. Dooley explained that while New York City has some of the cleanest, safest and most reliable drinking water in the country, the safety of the city’s drinking water is in danger, put in jeopardy by big business oil companies who want to drill for natural gas dangerously close to New York City’s upstate watershed using a process known as hydraulic fracturing, also called hydrofracking.

This drilling process uses toxic chemicals under high pressure in water to break up rock formations deep underground releasing the natural gas. The targeted material for this natural gas drilling runs through approximately eight states including Pennsylvania and upstate New York and is known as the Marcellus Shale. The hydrofracking drilling method requires millions of gallons of water that the United States Department of Energy considers one of the most toxic industrial byproducts produced by gas and oil drilling.

“Let me be clear, I am not against drilling, but I am totally against a process that certainly has questionable ingredients that should not be in our water. Recently, I met with Josh Fox, writer and director of the movie Gasland, to discuss this issue and my education and concerns about hydrofracking grew,” explains Addabbo.

The Senator warns: “Imagine not being able to use your water for fear of drinking carcinogens, plastics and toxins. The danger of hydraulic fracturing so close to the New York City watershed is easy to imagine. Toxic byproduct can seep into our drinking water and turn our once pristine water into a severe health risk. According to a report prepared by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, entitled Uncalculated Risk, seven states across the country have experienced serious incidents of water contamination and explosions near hydraulic fracturing mines.”

“To protect our drinking water, I have introduced and sponsored legislation to place a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in New York State and would keep the state Department of Environmental Conservation from issuing drilling permits, until 120 days after an impact study is completed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. [The study began in March and a completion date has not been set, but is expected to take up to two years.] We need to slow down and take time to fully understand a report currently being prepared by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regarding the potential dangers of hydraulic fracturing and its possible effects on the New York City watershed. The unknown, long-term effects of the components of hydrofracking could be dangerous, if not fatal. Why take a chance with our precious drinking water? We should be certain that New York City’s water supply will not be damaged,” adds Addabbo.

Concludes the Senator: “The risks are simply too high to just recklessly move forward with hydraulic fracturing. Almost nine million people in New York City rely on clean, safe, unfiltered surface water collected in the watershed. We cannot put the health of New York City residents at risk. The harm to our city’s and state’s infrastructure, economy, and most importantly, public trust -- far outweigh any benefits of moving forward immediately with hydrofracking.”

“In the wake of the BP oil spill in the Gulf, we have seen first-hand the effects of ignoring common-sense safety measures. While I know that upstate landowners stand to make huge amounts of money from the gas companies as they lease their land to allow the drilling and that the process creates jobs, I believe it is irresponsible and dangerous to permit drilling so near our water supply without taking the time to fully understand its ramifications.”

Senator Addabbo urges New Yorkers to work together to protect our precious drinking water. Concerned New Yorkers are invited to go to the Senator’s Web site at http://www.nysenate.gov/senator/joseph-p-addabbo-jr to sign his petition in support of his legislation calling for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing. For additional ways to protect our city’s drinking water, please call the Senator’s district offices at 718-738-1111 or 718-497-1630, or email him at addabbo@senate.state.ny.us.

BP — For the Rest of Us: The Marcellus Shale by TobyWollin - Firedoglake

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Okay boys and girls, it’s time for a little more "energy-based geology" courtesy of your Aunt Toby. You didn’t know that I know anything about geology, did you? Well, I had better since I live smack dab in an area which given the amount of natural gas formation there is (see map), has the potential to make the BP oil volcano pollution look like small change.

This is the Marcellus Shale formation (actually, there is another, even larger shale formation that all of the energy companies are looking at that lies underneath the Marcellus, called, interestingly enough, the Utica Shale formation, but that is a discussion for another time). Energy companies have been sending their "land men" all over Pennsylvania and Upstate New York to get landowners to sign land leases which will allow them to drill for natural gas.

Natural gas. What could be more patriotic? Our own supply of energy (cue “Hail to the Chief”). There are so many problems with this that it is only through frankly people’s poverty, lack of information, the energy companies’ "hit em fast before they get smart," local government’s suffering for tax revenues, and general greed that things have gotten going at all.

And start they have. The amount of infighting, "you got more than I did," "don’t tell me what to do with my land," "I’ve got flames coming out of my sink taps," and general hair pulling has been truly mindboggling here in New York. But I’m glad we are into fighting because at least there has been a slowdown in terms of what is happening in New York State, especially with New York City’s DEP (the water quality people who bought upstate New York the Cannonsville and other reservoirs) screaming bloody murder to protect New York City’s water and now the Delaware Watershed folks putting a hold on any drilling due to fears of water pollution from the use of "fracking fluid," a water-based liquid comprised of 80 different chemicals, many of which have been found to cause neurological damage and cancer.

But that has not helped Pennsylvania, which is two years into the natural gas drilling "boom," with all of its attending issues and problems:

Worker deaths from explosions and safety problems.

Major watershed pollution with a large fish kill at Dunkard Creek between PA and WV.

200,000 gallons of fracking fluid have been found to have been dumped in the Allegheny National Forest.

Road Damage from trucks and equipment: Marcellus Drilling Road Damage

Social problems associated with companies bringing drilling crews into rural areas (so much for all the job creation that this supposedly provides): Social Ills

And a government which seemingly will not use the tools at its disposal to regulate, tax and control the energy companies trying to get at the energy (see Coal Fields, Pennsylvania): PA State Gov’t Ill Equipped

The Marcellus even has its own documentary, “Gasland," with its very own “Michael Moore," whose name is Josh Fox: Marcellus Shale Documentary

There is one other thought I have which is this: If upstate New York and Pennsylvania’s economies were roaring with good manufacturing jobs, the way they were 40 years ago, would anyone be worried about getting value out of their land? I think one of the aspects which is being ignored in this is that these are two states which have aspects very much alike: huge percentages of the state are relatively income poor and land rich and decisions are being made by outsiders negotiating with people in the large metropolitan areas which are relatively land poor…and income rich. This is like how states site prisons – rural areas with no other options will take prisons and then find out that there are costs that they have no way of paying. In the short and long term, the Marcellus Shale is the same: A few people will make a lot of money on a personal basis – everyone else in the area will end up paying in increased taxes to pay the social and infrastructure costs. That’s right – companies like BP understand this concept well: it’s call privatizing the benefits…and socializing the costs.

In addition (thanks to Elliott!):
NY and fracking
More NY Moves on Fracking
Shale gas spin job

For general sites:
marcellus-shale
Binghamton PressConnects Marcellus Shale Pages

(map of the Marcellus Shale courtesy of chuckchuckchuck)

Report: Suffolk's Cesspools Imperiling Waterways by Jennifer Maloney - Newsday,com

Resd original...

Suffolk County cesspools are imperiling the region's waterways, releasing high levels of nitrogen that moves into rivers and bays, causing algae blooms, fish kills and the explosive growth of invasive weeds, according to a report released Monday by Peconic Baykeeper.

The Quogue-based environmental group is calling for the county to overhaul its septic code to require periodic cesspool inspections, designate nitrogen-sensitive areas and create incentives for homeowners to replace antiquated systems.

Carrie Gallagher, Suffolk's commissioner of environment and energy, said the county this fall will release a water resources management report that is expected to recommend changes to the county's sanitation code, including limiting septic system installation to properties of 1 acre or larger. The code currently allows systems to be installed in some cases on half-acre lots.

PHOTOS: See photos of LI's waterways and septic system

POLL: Should Suffolk overhaul its cesspool policy?

"We all agree that nitrogen pollution is a problem and, yes, our current regulations and septic systems could be doing a better job at pollution reduction," Gallagher said.

Kevin McAllister, who heads the Peconic Baykeeper group, said revamping the county's cesspool policy is "politically sensitive, it's costly, but let's start talking about it. . . . With regard to development in Suffolk County, we have reached that tipping point. It's going to be the demise of our waters if we don't address it."

Four Long Island bays plagued by recurrent blooms of harmful brown tide algae were added to a state list of "impaired" waters in January; the draft list is expected to become final in July. The pollutant identified for the four bays - Great South, Moriches, Quantuck and Shinnecock - is nitrogen, caused by cesspools and storm water runoff tainted with fertilizer, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

DEC officials say more study is needed on the role cesspools and other sources of pollution play in causing algal blooms in the four bays before the state decides on the best approach to prevent future brown tides.

But the Baykeeper, along with local officials and the Long Island Liquid Waste Association, say Suffolk County's cesspool code lags behind codes in other counties and states. They say these codes are meant to protect drinking water but neglect the effects trace nitrogen levels can have on surface water.

Ed Warner Jr., a bayman and Southampton trustee, pointed to a Flanders homeowner cited by the county this month for a cesspool that has become exposed because of beach erosion on Flanders Bay.

"The tide comes up to the cesspool and the effluent is washing into the bay," he said. "We need to address these problems before they get to this point. It's time to get some more modern septic practices on Long Island."

So far, the Baykeeper's report has earned the endorsement of Suffolk Legis. Edward Romaine (R-Center Moriches) and the tentative support of Legis. John M. Kennedy (R-Nesconset), who said he favors stricter cesspool regulations, but worries about costs to homeowners. A typical septic system on Long Island costs between $3,000 and $4,000. Rhode Island, for example, has embraced high-tech septic systems that cost between $18,000 and $25,000.

Romaine said: "One of the things we need to look at is the best technologies available to reduce nitrogen escaping from septic systems."

Typical Long Island septic systems release nitrogen at a concentration of 40 mg per liter, according to the report. New alternative septic systems reduce nitrogen levels to 10 to 14 mg per liter, the report said. Sewage treatment plants reduce nitrogen levels to 3 mg per liter.