State Legislators Call for an End to Fracking

State Senators Tony Avella, Liz Krueger, and other members of the Senate Democratic Conference gathered on the steps of City Hall to mark the close of the public comment period about the proposed opening ofNew York to fracking. Fracking, a dangerous gas drilling method, has met overwhelming opposition in New York. The Department of Environmental Conservation released a revised impact statement in Sept. 2011 that provided a review of potential environmental impacts of the drilling, and how they could be mitigated. The sought to drill into the Marcellus Shale, a black shale formation extending deep underground from Ohio and West Virgina northeast into Pennsylvania and southern New York at depths deeper than 2,000 feet.

The mining process involves pumping a fluid and a propping material such as sand down the gas well under high pressure to create fractures in the gas-bearing rock. The propping material then holds the fractures open, allowing more gas to flow into the well than would naturally occur. The fluid is water mixed with various chemical compounds such as anti-friction agents and anti-bacterial gel. The complete effects to public health and the environment are not fully known yet, with the CDC and EPA calling for studies. Public outcry was deafening as 6,000 attended public hearings and 20,000 submitted written comments. Citing the overwhelming opposition they will call on Governor Andrew Cuomo to withdraw the Department of Environmental Conservation's flawed environmental impact statement and for the state legislature to pass a bill to ban fracking in New York.

One of many videos circulating the net about the effects of hydrofracking on drinking water.