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SEPT 13, 2011
DEC Says 226 Additional Workers will be Needed for Shale Gas Drilling Enforcement
The state Department of Environmental Conservation expects it will need an additional 226 staffers within five years if high-volume hdyrofracking moves forward in New York, according to a document provided to an agency task force. Currently the DEC has 2,969 full-time staffers, down 806 since April 2008.
DEC will need 226 more workers
SEPT 12, 2011
Town of Danby Joins Towns of Dryden, Ulysses and Ithaca in Banning Fracking
Danby became the fourth municipality in Tompkins County, NY to ban hydraulic fracturing after the town board voted unanimously Monday evening to adopt amendments to the town's Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinances. The comprehensive plan amendment clarifies that high impact industrial activity is not consistent with the town's plan which calls for preservation of rural character, while the zoning ordinance amendment prohibits oil, gas and solution mining.
SEPT 7, 2011
DEC Releases Revised Draft SGEIS Document; 90 Day Comment Period Begins
The revised draft SGEIS addresses permit conditions required for gas drilling in Marcellus shale and other areas of the state. The DEC also released a separate 251 page report, "Economic Assessment Report for the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on New York State’s Oil, Gas, and Solution Mining Regulatory Program". The comment period for the revised draft SGEIS runs from September 7 to December 12, 2011.
August 31, 2011
Chesapeake Accused of Operating Improperly Permitted or Unpermitted Wastewater Treatment Sites in Bradford County, PA
"A group of neighbors whose properties straddle the border between Terry and Asylum Townships have accused Chesapeake Energy of operating several wastewater treament faciliteis in the area that were either improperly perimtted, not permitted at all, or operating on sites that were not adequately prepared for such usage. Others are blaming the company for tainted well water, dead pets, and unexplained illnesses among family members during the course of time that the gas company has operated the treatment centers and moved them from one well pad to another."
AUGUST 24, 2011
US Geological Survey (USGS) Revises Its Estimate of Marcellus Shale Gas Reserves
On August 23rd, the USGS issued a revised estimate of the amount of natural gas recoverable from the Marcellus Shale. The new value of 84 trillion cubic feet can be interpreted as either an increase or a decrease, depending on which of several other estimates it is compared to. It represents an almost 80% decrease from Penn State Professor Dr. Terry Engelder's 2008 estimate of 392 trillion cubic feet, the number that helped set off Pennyslvania's shale gas frenzy. Compared to the USGS's 2002 estimate of 2 trillion cubic feet, the new value represents a 42-fold increase.
Shale Reserve Estimate Slashed
AUGUST 18, 2011
New York Attorney General Schneiderman Issues Subpeonas to Gas Companies
In June, the New York Times had a series of articles investigating whether energy companies were overstating their proven reserves of natural gas. Now NY state investigators have requested documents relating to the formulas that four companies, Range Resources, Cabot Oil and Gas, Chesapeake Energy and Goodrich Petroleum, use to predict how much their gas wells are likely to produce in coming decades. The New York Times reports that " the four companies were chosen because they are heavily involved in natural gas drilling and because New York State has more than $45 million of its pension money invested with them. If a company improperly reported to investors how its wells were likely to perform or failed to disclose the true costs of drilling, there could be repercussions for the state’s financial portfolio".
New York Subpeonas Energy Companies
August 11, 2011
Town Board of Ulysses Votes to Ban Fracking
At an August 10 meeting, the Town Board of Ulysses voted 5-0 to clarify that under the town's zoning rules, gas drilling and exploration are not permitted land uses, in effect banning fracking. Ulysses is the third town in Tompkins County to have a ban. The other two are Ithaca and Dryden.
August 08, 2011
State Comptroller Proposes Hydraulic Fracturing Fund for New York State
The New York State comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, will propose legistlation on Tuesday (Aug 13th) that would create an industry-supported fund to pay for potential environmental damage caused by hydraulic fracturing.
JULY 30, 2011
Drilling Truck Overturns on Subaru, KIlling Driver and Injuring Passenger
A truck hauling materials for natural gas drilling tipped over onto a car, killing the driver and injuring the passenger. The truck driver was unharmed. The accident occurred on Route 29 in Liberty Township, Susquehanna County, PA. Witnesses claim the truck driver made no attempt to stop. The truck is owned by Southeast Directional Drilling, an Arizona-based company taking advantage of the Marcellus shale gas boom.
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to ban
High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing
in Newfield