NEW DRILLING RULES ANNOUNCED

New regulations announced April 23 were designed to end natural gas drilling near New York City’s drinking water source.

But the rules have sparked a backlash among environmental advocates, who claim that the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) missed an opportunity to ban drilling near the city’s water supply altogether.

There has been a push in recent years from oil and gas companies to drill in the Marcellus Shale using a technique called hydraulic fracturing, which involves injecting water mixed with chemicals and sand into a well to free trapped natural gas. Read more

The Dangers of Drilling

The state is currently collecting public comments on a proposal that would allow a certain type of natural gas drilling upstate, where the city gets its water supply. Now is the time for all New Yorkers—and especially Mayor Michael Bloomberg—to make their voices heard so this plan gets a much more in-depth evaluation before moving forward. Millions of dollars, and the purity of the city’s drinking water, may be on the line. Read more

Local Push Against Upstate Drilling

As the recent owner of a 65-acre home in the Catskills, Dana DiPrima was dismayed to learn of a plan to mine natural gas in upstate New York. She enjoyed camping and fishing there as a child.

“I said, ‘Drilling for gas, are you kidding me?’” DiPrima recalled.

But as an Upper West Sider, her concern also centered on potential damage to the city’s drinking water.

The Marcellus shale, a rock formation that stretches from Ohio into New York’s southern tier, has more than 100 trillion feet of natural gas, Read more

CITY POLS PROTEST UPSTATE DRILLING

When the state laid out rules for natural gas drilling upstate on Sept. 30, elected officials miles away in New York City said, “kill the drill.”

That is because drilling, believed to contaminate water, can be done near watersheds where city residents get their drinking water.

Borough President Scott Stringer, along with various city officials, called for the state to ban drilling near the city’s water source.

“Today, we start a campaign with one clear goal: to make certain that before this state’s draft plan become law, it includes a ban on drilling for natural gas in the city’s upstate watershed,” Stringer said in a statement.

The coalition of elected officials and environmental advocates also criticized the proposed buffer zones around watersheds as inadequate to protect water from contamination.

“The proposed mitigation measures do not go far enough,” said State Sen. Tom Duane, in a statement. “It is inconceivable and unacceptable that the measures do not include a ban on high-volume hydraulic fracturing in and around New York City’s watershed and, indeed, in all water supplies statewide.”

The Department of Environmental Conservation will hold a public information sessions later in the year.