Environmental groups are anxious about the impact that drilling for natural gas will have on New York State.
Meanwhile, from Binghamton west to Elmira, 15,000 people who would like to be employed aren't. Who will prevail in the battle over hydraulic fracturing, the controversial drilling technique used to extract natural gas from deep below the surface? Will it be the environmentalists or will it be those eager for economic growth in parts of New York like the Southern Tier, where growth has been elusive?
Actually, there doesn't have to be a winner and a loser.
"The one thing we have in New York State that not all states have is high environmental standards,"* Brian Sampson, executive director of Unshackle Upstate, told me last week. He believes the same standards will exist for hydrofracking. TO read more : http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110710/BUSINESS0107/107100317
*(Funny thing, that’s exactly what I said when I testified at the State Assembly. “New York State has more environmental foresight” maybe it didn’t make sense to many, but it is true)
Hydraulic fracturing is a safe process that results in needed energyBy Dave McCurdy
Posted: 07/10/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT
When engineers first coined the term "hydraulic fracturing," it's a safe bet they never expected that such an arcane technical phrase would need to be understood by the general public.
For years, this innovative, natural gas well completion process, which has been used to release natural gas by fracturing shale and other rock formations, was only understood by industry scientists who perfected the technique, by the state and federal officials who regulated them, and by the hard-working men and women who carried out the jobs to bring natural gas to the millions of Americans who use it every day.
Today, however, the term has gone mainstream as the increased production of natural gas from hydraulic fracturing has resulted in an economic boom in the areas it is being used. The result has been significant job creation and increased tax revenues for cities and states in those areas, as well as economic benefits to local mineral owners.
Read more: Hydraulic fracturing is a safe process that results in needed energy - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_18436002#ixzz1RhhJYK6Y
By Dave McCurdy is president and CEO of the American Gas Association
Bishops, Nuns and Rabbis Debate Gas Fracking
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 9, 2011 at 2:57 PM ET
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bishops, nuns and rabbis are joining the environmental and social debate over natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale region, and many are seeking a balance that reflects their congregations.
"We have people's lives who are being blessed or adversely affected by this," said Bishop Thomas Bickerton of Pittsburgh, who leads more than 800 United Methodist congregations and 187,000 members in western Pennsylvania, where major drilling is taking place.
"The conversations within the church are rather lively and robust," Bickerton said, and he thinks gas drilling "warrants some careful looking"
Bickerton told The Associated Press that it's a delicate topic. On one hand, he's very supportive of the economic development which gas drilling has spurred across the region. On the other, he said it appears the state has not thoroughly looked at all the issues around drilling, its impact on communities and the environment*.
To read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/07/09/us/AP-US-Gas-Drilling-Religion.html?_r=1 by religious groups and public officials.
*(I really wonder what more the state can do make it “appear” to activists that they have looked “more” into the issue of natural gas development.)
City of Morgantown Sued: Company may seek millions
By Alex Lang
The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.July 08--The gas company suing the city of Morgantown* over its fracking ban has requested a hearing on a preliminary injunction to be scheduled for August and is threatening the city that it will seek tens of millions of dollars in compensation if the ban is upheld.
Northeast Natural Energy made several filings in Monongalia County Circuit Court late Thursday.
"Northeast intends to prosecute its claim against the City of Morgantown aggressively and to the fullest extent. We remain confident that the drilling ordinance passed by the Morgantown City Council is deficient from both procedural and legal standpoints and that it will be ultimately struck down," Mike Garrison, an attorney representing Northeast Natural Energy, said in a statement.
"In the unlikely event, however, that the ordinance is upheld, Northeast will seek tens of millions of dollars from the city for compensation for the unlawful taking of the property rights and the permanent damage to its investment in this project."
Read more: http://www.dailymail.com/ap/ApTopStories/201107080335
*insert the name of your town/city here...
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