Groups Call on New York State Legislature to Call a "Timeout" for Fracking

Enviros & Good Government Watchdogs Tell Lawmakers to Pass a Moratorium for Hydraulic Fracturing Drilling Technique for Natural Gas

ALBANY, NY (08/02/2010)(readMedia)-- With the New York State Legislature scheduled to return to Albany and hold a special Legislative Session on Tuesday, citizen groups, environmentalists and good government organizations from across the state are demanding action on a critical bill that would enact a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas.

According to the good government group Common Cause New York, the oil and gas industry have spent more than one million dollars, in the first half of 2010 alone, lobbying to open New York State to such drilling.

The bill S. 8129B/A.11443B, sponsored by Senator Antoine Thompson (D-Buffalo) and Assemblyman Robert Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst), would suspend the issuance of permits to hydraulically fracture wells in New York State until May 15, 2011. This "timeout" will give the Department of Environmental Conservation enough time to finish its review of hydraulic fracturing independent of political pressure. A timeout would also give the next governor an opportunity to review the issue.

Such time is critical to allow for the thorough review needed to assess the potential risks associated with hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. In states such as Pennsylvania, Colorado and Wyoming where the gas industry routinely uses hydraulic fracturing to drill for natural gas, drinking and groundwater sources have been contaminated, poisoning people and wildlife alike.

The organizations calling for lawmakers to act include Citizens Campaign for the Environment, EARTHWORKS Oil & Gas Accountability Project, Environmental Advocates of New York, Natural Resources Defense Council, Riverkeeper, Sierra Club-Atlantic Chapter, Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, Inc., Trout Unlimited, Inc., and National Wildlife Federation.

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