State Environmental Agency to Release Fracking Report

By Karen DeWitt

Albany, New York – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is due to release it's final version of a draft environmental impact statement on hydro fracking in New york. The report is being eagerly anticipated by both environmentalists and the natural gas industry.

The Cuomo Admisntration has already said it wants to allow fracking on private lands outside some key watershed areas for New York City and Syracuse. The report due Wednesday will finalize a draft environmental impact statement and contain new information on the socio economic effects the industry could have on New York.

Environmentalists, including Katherine Nadeau of Environmental Advocates, say they hope the DEC will extend the public comment period, which follows the release of the statement, for longer than the normal 60 days, as well as add public hearings to let average New Yorkers weigh in.

"They deserve the opportunity to come out and have their spoken comments recorded for the public record," said Nadeau.

The group is also asking for a health impact study.

Gas industry representatives, who say they've been waiting three years to extract the gas from the Marcellus shale reserves, say they'd like to move the process along without any further delays so that permits can for fracking can finally be issued.