Since my last post on the NY State’s proposed approval of drilling for natural gas in the NYC Watershed, two major developments have taken place.

First, Chesapeake Energy, the company with the rights to drill in New York and beyond, has pledged to not drill inside the NYC Watershed. This voluntary moratorium is in response to the vocal opposition that has been mounted by local and national environmental organizations including Riverkeeper, Earth Justice, NRDC and EANY. The leadership at Chesapeake decided that taking on this battle is more trouble than it’s worth – a wise decision for a group with drilling rights to over 5 million acres in the Marcellus Shale (their holding in the NYC Watershed is a ‘mere’ 5,000 acres).The second potentially game-changing development is that NY State Congressman Maurice Hinchey has succeeded in moving forward a provision that will require the EPA to conduct a new study on the risks that hydraulic fracturing poses to drinking water supplies. The bill containing the provision – the Interior and Environmental Appropriations Bill – is expected to be voted on, passed and then approved by President Obama in the coming month.

Hats off to all of the advocates, political leaders and citizens who have been working tirelessly to halt this plan that prioritizes cheap energy over safe drinking water! You have made good headway in what promises to be a long road to enacting sane policy.

But reader beware – it is too soon to cross gas drilling in NY off your list of issues to follow! This voluntary moratorium by one corporation does not guarantee that the NYC Watershed is protected and it does not offer protection for all the other drinking water supplies that will be impacted if NY DEC’s current proposal is approved. And the powerful companies and lobbies opposed to updated federal regulations on hydraulic fracturing will work hard to block any progress in Congress and at the EPA

There is nothing keeping Chesapeake Energy from selling their rights to the land in the NYC Watershed to another company that is willing to drill. That possibility is made more likely if state regulations are approved that make it financially attractive enough. And, as we know too well, by the time new federal regulations are drafted, if they do get drafted, it may be too late for the NYC Watershed and other drinking water supplies.

So please be encouraged by the progress to date and submit public comments on the draft environmental impact statement (DGEIS) to keep the pressure on. The public comment period ends on November 30th. There are four public hearings that are part of that process. The first took place in Sullivan County last night and a vocal crowd of 300+ citizens turned out to have their concerns added to the record.

Upcoming public hearing dates and locations:
- Tuesday, Nov. 10, Stuyvesant High School, High School Auditorium, 345 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10282.
- Thursday, Nov. 12, Chenango Valley High School, High School Auditorium, 221 Chenango Bridge Rd., Chenango Bridge, NY 13901.
- The fourth meeting is planned for the Elmira-Corning area, Chemung County, date and location still TBD.

Doors open at 6pm for individual questions and speaker sign-up. Public comment session starts at 7pm

For more information on the hearings, the DGEIS, hydraulic fracturing and the Marcellus Shale you can visit Riverkeeper’s website and/or the DEC site.