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I am also an upstater, and an environmentalist. We all should be.Think about it for a minute. There is no way that the process of hydraulic fracturing can be anything but injurious. Think about thousands of trucks making their way over roads not designed for them. Think about millions of gallons of water, pumped at very high pressure down into the earth, breaking up the shale formation. Think about the stew of mystery chemicals which are added to the mix. Think about exploding wells, ruined drinking water, and permanent scars on the landscape.I don't think most folks know that the companies doing the hydrofracking have had laws passed by the previous White House occupants forbidding them from disclosing the noxious blend of chemicals that they use. The past history of energy exploitation is clear, these firms will come here, ruin what is best about this area, and leave their mess for us to clean up.
There seems to be growing opposition to drilling from downstate, and last I read the DEP has officially denied drilling in the Catskills NYC watershed, but that is only a portion of the Marcellus shale area of upstate NY. Where I am upstate (just outside the NYC watershed) there is little to no local opposition to drilling, and understandably so. The area is relatively poor and economically depressed. The general attitude is that the drilling is inevitable- pending energy issues, money interests, etc. are all so great that there will be no stopping it, so land owners are organizing into coalitions for more bargaining power in lease negotiations. The sad hope is that if the drilling does screw everything up, one will have made enough money from signing a lease that one can move to Florida, etc. There is also a general belief that the terms of the leases will provide for additional compensation should wells and water supplies be damaged, roads ruined from the trucking, etc. etc. Personally I think the companies involved and the leases are/will be structured in such a way that liability will be impossible to prove and/or the original companies will dissolve, merge, disappear and good luck getting anything when the well is poisoned.
there are plenty of areas in the world where drilling is done w/o permanent damage to the enviorment. We're not talking about strip mining here.
Eh, whatever, Upstate NY will just happliy skip along into the economic abyss.
The areas where drilling has been done (arguably) without permanent environmental damage are using conventional drilling techniques. Hydraulic fracturing is a relatively new drilling technique and hasn't been used in many places and hasn't been in use for long. This isn't sticking a pipe in the ground and having gas come out- it involves pumping huge amounts of water laced with poisons into the ground at great pressure to fracture the shale and force the gas out.
there are plenty of areas in the world where drilling is done w/o permanent damage to the enviorment. We're not talking about strip mining here.
Eh, whatever, Upstate NY will just happliy skip along into the economic abyss.
Yea, much better to have some cash flow (guaranteed almost all the real profits will benefit corporations located far from here, or the lucky few who will cash out and move to greener pastures after allowing the land they should have been responsible stewards for be despoiled) than worry about the very real danger of fouling what is arguably one of the most beautiful areas left. I would be very much surprised if the amount of monies taken in were greater than the money that will be needed to clean up the mess that is remains. And you know the gas companies will find a way of evading their responsibility, leaving the bill to us, the taxpayers. Even the E.P.A. has weighed in calling for much more study of the issue.
I'm not an environmentalist per se, but I am a conservationist. Natural resources are there for us to use - we NEED them - but they should be used efficiently, thoughtfully and with foresight. The environment is neither a museum, nor is it a whorehouse.
That said, I think the environment (the mountains, the trout streams, the forests, the reservoirs) is the Catskills greatest asset. It would behoove us to consider the ramifications of peeing in the proverbial punchbowl. Perhaps in a few years, we'll develop less damaging methods of extracting the natural gas. Perhaps in a few years, we'll find that hydrofracking isn't as dangerous as we believe it might be. But why don't we wait and see what happens in PA, TX, MT, and elsewhere? Is the natural gas going someplace if we don't drill it today?
I am going to the Albany demonstration on monday the 25th is anyone else going?
BTW
Both pro and con will be gathering.
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Albany demonstration 1.25.10
