New York Water Rangers, Assemblymembers Committed to Protecting NYS from Flawed Fracking Plan

ALBANY, NY (01/10/2013)(readMedia)-- New York Water Rangers partners joined with experts from across the state today at a New York State Assembly hearing on the Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) proposed High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing ("fracking") regulations and to call on Governor Cuomo to protect New York from the harmful effects of fracking. The following statement is from our coalition:

"The 30-day public comment period on the DEC's proposed regulations to permit fracking comes to a close tomorrow and, unfortunately, the public remains in the dark on the most significant issue: public health.

New York has had no stronger champion for our environment than the state Assembly, particularly the hosts of today's hearing, Assemblymembers Robert Sweeney, Richard Gottfried, and Charles Lavine. At this important hearing, we heard serious concerns about the highly secretive process undertaken by the governor's administration to review fracking's impacts on human health. No credible public comment period can occur when the public has not been given the information they need to provide a thoughtful response to government proposals.

We implored the Cuomo administration to open its health review to the public and called on the Governor to commit to withholding judgment on fracking unless and until the state's draft plans have incorporated protections that will protect public health from all of fracking's documented dangers.

The New York Water Rangers would like to thank Assemblymembers Sweeney, Gottfried, and Lavine for their leadership and commitment to protecting New York from the DEC's fundamentally flawed plan to allow fracking. We hope that the Cuomo administration was listening today and will remedy the faulty process it has used until now by moving forward in a thoughtful and transparent way before making any decisions on fracking in New York, including finalizing any proposed regulations."

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