State Releases Final Fracking Statement

by Scott Waldman (Capital New York) ... The Department of Environmental Conservation released the 2,000-page final Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement for fracking, which opponents and proponents around the country have been awaiting since Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a ban on fracking in December.

At least ten days from now the state will release a findings statement that lays out the reasons for the state's decision to prohibit fracking in New York and that will make it official. The environmental impact and findings statements represent the administration's opinion on fracking and are more than just technical documents. They will be used by anti-fracking advocates in other states to push for more bans, and could form the basis for the industry's legal challenge to the state ban.

The report states that fracking could have negative effects on water and air quality, as well as "community character." It found that fracking may lead to earthquakes and that it contributes to climate change.

Based on estimates, fracking operations in New York would have used about 9 billion gallons of fresh water annually.

New York is the first state in the nation with a significant natural gas formation to ban the practice. Advocates who helped pass the ban here have already traveled to other states as well as Europe to help with passing bans there.

The report, seven years in the making, is full of "fear and misinformation," said Heather Briccetti, president of the Business Council. READ MORE Report