February 16th - 29th 2012
Another hydrofracking ruling backs home rule
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
ALBANY — For the second time in a week, a state Supreme Court judge has upheld the ability of municipalities to ban hydraulic fracturing and gas drilling within their limits. Otsego County Acting Supreme Court Justice Donald Cerio ruled late Friday ...
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Second Judge in State Backs Local Ban on Gas Drilling
New York Times
It was the second court ruling this week that affirmed local authority over the process known ashydrofracking. Middlefield, with about 2100 residents, passed a zoning law last June prohibiting heavy industry uses of land, including oil and gas ...
Another Local Hydrofracking Ban Enforced
WBNG-TV
By WBNG News (WBNG Binghamton) In just one week, two local bans on hydraulic fracturing are upheld by the state's high court. Earlier this week, Action News told you about the decision in favor of Dryden. Friday, the state Supreme Court ruled in favor ...
YNN Hudson Valley
Calsolaro said the New York State Supreme Court recently upheld the hydrofracking ban in that Dryden case, which helped him get that last vote he needed in the common council to make Friday's proposal veto-proof. Calsolaro said, "That gives us at least ...
Albany Common Council to try again at banning hydrofracking
WNYT
ALBANY - Hydrofracking uses water and chemicals under high pressure to push into rock, fracturing it and releasing natural gas. It's been blamed for polluted water and methane-filled homes in parts of Pennsylvania, spurring a determined movement to ...
Dear President Obama: Reconsider hydrofracking
The Livingston County News
Following this we started a group to help educate our town about horizontal slick waterhydrofracking. We petitioned our Town of Richmond for a moratorium. A month ago our town board passed a 12 month moratorium and appointed an official committee to ...
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A Second NY Ruling Upholds Local Authority Over Gas Drilling
New York Times (blog)
By MIREYA NAVARRO After two state judges upheld drilling bans established by two upstate towns in New York, the question becomes: how many more towns will go ahead and pass their own prohibitions on hydrofracking? A New York state judge ruled Friday ...
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Hydrofracking wastewater issue remains unsettled in N.Y. ...
Environmental groups support legislation that would close a loophole exempting oil and gas waste from the hazardous waste law that applies to other industries.
www.democratandchronicle.com/.../hydraulic-fracture-drilling...
Hydrofracking opponents laud judge's ruling | The Ithaca Journal ...
ALBANY — Opponents of hydraulic fracturing said Wednesday a judge's decision to uphold a small town's gas drilling ban may put more pressure on ...
www.theithacajournal.com/.../Hydrofracking-opponents-laud-j...
Avella to Discuss Hydrofracking, Redistricting at Douglaston Civic ...
Group will host meeting at the Community Church of Douglaston on March 8.
littleneck.patch.com/.../avella-to-discuss-hydrofracking-redistri...
Natural Gas 'Fracking' Ban Upheld in Second New York Town
Bloomberg
New York placed a moratorium on the drilling process known as fracking in 2010 while state regulators developed environmental rules. Since then, about 20 towns in the state have adopted laws to ban drilling, according to Karen Edelstein, a geographic ...
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New York Fracking Ban In Towns Upheld By Second Judge
Huffington Post
By Dan Wiessner ALBANY, NY, Feb 24 (Reuters) - A New York state judge on Friday upheld an upstate community's ban on gas drilling, marking the second victory this week for opponents of the drilling method known as fracking. The authority vested in ...
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Judge: NY town can ban fracking
CBS News
It was the second court decision this week affirming local authority over "fracking." Last June Middlefield, in Otsego County, passed a zoning law prohibiting heavy industry, including oil and gas drilling. A landowner, who had signed a lease granting ...
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Second New York judge upholds fracking ban in towns
Reuters
The rulings come as the state Department of Environmental Conservation prepares a final report on the safety of fracking, which is currently not allowed in New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to make a final decision on the issue later this year.
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Fracking facts to be posted online
Edmonton Journal
The BC website will only carry information about fracking since Jan. 1, 2012. Details of how Alberta's website will work are still being hammered out. "There's increased concern about fracking and how that technology is put to use, and where that ...
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Senate gives tentative OK to fracking waste
Topeka Capital Journal
By AP The Kansas Senate has tentatively approved a measure allowing oil and gas drilling companies to spread clay shavings produced by fracking operations over fields in Kansas. The move Thursday comes as southern Kansas is experiencing a surge in ...
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'Fracking' forum on Monday is the first of three
The Newark Advocate
The first of three forums at Denison University on gas drilling and the practice of “fracking” will be held Monday. Monday's forum will feature three experts on fracking who will speak about its environmental and economic implications.
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Fracking forum only reinforced reader's concerns
Marietta Times
I attended the socialist engineering controlled forum on fracking Jan. 31 at Marietta College. The advocates of fracking, (Bob) Chase and (Frank) Leeper, actually proved how bad of a deal frackingis for us all. Anyone who challenges the above ...
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Are We Ready? Are fracking regulations in place locally, statewide?
Marietta Times
Critics have said Ohio is rushing into the process without knowing all the information about the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." It involves pumping millions of gallons of chemically treated water and sand deep underground ...
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Kan. Senate gives tentative OK to fracking waste
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
(WTW) — The Kansas Senate has given first-round approval to a measure allowing oil and gas drilling companies to spread some waste produced by fracking operations over fields in Kansas. The Wichita Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/xmMVwx ) that the move ...
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New Report Says Fracking Depletes Water Supply
Yahoo! Contributors Network
Fracking depletes the water supply and could be used to "extinction," according to former US Bureau of Reclamation environmental compliance officer and environmental activist Phillip Doe's statements in the Coloradoan, a Fort Collins, Colo., newspaper.
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Are We Ready? The Times partnering with WOUB for show on fracking
Marietta Times
An 90-minute show, "Newswatch In-Depth: Fracking Frenzy," set to air on WOUB Tuesday is aimed at answering some of those questions through a live, call-in forum with experts. "The goal of the show is just to allow people to ask questions by either ...
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Tarentum Valley News Dispatch
There have been numerous reports of illnesses and death for people, farm animals and wildlife near these operations due to the chemicals and radiation either used or produced by the frackingprocess. How many humans, animals and wildlife have to be ...
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Second Court Victory In One Week To Uphold Local Fracking Ban
eNews Park Forest
For the second time in a week, a court has ruled in favor of a small town's right to ban industrial gas development, including the controversial gas development technique known as fracking. State Supreme Court Justice Donald F. Cerio Jr. ruled (PDF) in ...
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How do you feel about fracking locally?
Athens NEWS
The Athens NEWS is allowing a team of Ohio University students to use our site to link to a survey they're conducting about how local residents feel about oil and gas fracking in this area. Following is the students' introduction to their survey, ...
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New Yorkers Chalk Up 2nd Victory in David v. Goliath Fracking Fight
ReadMedia (press release)
New Yorkers in Middlefield, like their compatriots in Dryden, warmed up their slingshots and hoped for the best when they took aim and acted to prevent fracking for natural gas in their town. The New York Water Rangers applaud the citizens of ...
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LETTER: Fracking alarmists, my well already has your symptoms
MPNnow.com
They also want you to believe that they would be drilling at the West Lake yacht club and stripping the hills around the lake, dumping fracking water in the lake! They wring their hands over right-of-ways for gas lines and eminent domain.
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CORRECTED-Second New York judge upholds fracking ban in towns
Chicago Tribune
... and Wiessner ALBANY, NY, Feb 24 (Reuters) - A New York State judge on Friday upheld an upstate community's ban on gas drilling, marking the second victory in the space of a week for opponents of the controversial drilling method known as fracking.
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2nd NY court upholds town ban on gas drilling
Wall Street Journal
New York has had a de facto moratorium on shale gas development since it began an environmental review and regulatory process in 2008 to address the impacts of high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." The technology stimulates a well into ...
Oil strike could be worth $600m
Stuff.co.nz
TAG has stated that up to 95 per cent of the oil would have to be sourced via "unconventional" methods – namely the controversial technique of fracking, a technique involving pumping water and chemicals under high-pressure underground to fracture rocks ...
Local drill ban wins 2nd victory
Albany Times Union
... Donald F. Cerio Jr. echoed one issued three days earlier in Tompkins County by another state judge, Justice Phillip Rumsey, who also found that state mining laws do not prevent local governments from enacting fracking bans under zoning laws.
Editorial: UT fracking study offers new promise
Dallas Morning News (subscription)
Yet increased production also caused an exponential swell in alarms that fracking is unsafe. This newspaper is among those who have expressed concern about the potential for toxic emissions to affect groundwater and air quality.
Right to ban fracking upheld a second time
The River Reporter
MIDDLEFIELD, NY - For the second time this week, a judge has ruled that New York State towns have the right to establish zoning ordinances that ban natural gas drilling within their borders. Otsego County Acting Supreme Court Justice Donald Cerio, ...
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Middlefield wins 'home rule' case in court
Oneonta Daily Star
West said earlier this week that Anschutz Exploration Corp., which sued Dryden after that town enacted a fracking ban, has not yet decided whether it will appeal the Rumsey ruling. Clinton said the two cases could be rendered moot if legislation ...
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Allied News
Eventually, Shell will drill to extract gas from the shale by a procedure called hydraulic fracturing - orfracking - of the rock with mini explosions to release gases from the hard shale. It has come with a lot of controversy, with reports of ...
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Dallas Morning News (subscription) (blog)
Pioneer Natural Resources Company of Irving is a growing oil producer in the Permian Basin. Here's a look at a Pioneer hydraulic fracturing job at an oil well near Midland. Try clearing your cache: In Firefox, go to Tools / Clear Recent History.
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Local Talk News
It is ironically funny that the same Republicans who talk of family values and decry coarse speech now go on the public airwaves every day to defend fracking. Fracking is good. Fracking is necessary. Everyone should support fracking.
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StarPhoenix
He backed out of Kyoto, cut funding to renewable energy in favour of giving $1.4 billion to the gas and oil industry for "fracking," and cut hundreds of Environment Canada jobs. Harper's contempt for Canadians and democracy is evident again as he rams ...
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Waterfront, hydrofracking, and politics questioned by students
Evening Observer
Fracking and food labeling are similar, Higgins said, from the standpoint that the state of New York has made a determination through its environmental review process that the chemicals that companies use to 'frack' have to be disclosed.
New report reveals vast stores of Alaska shale oil and gas
Alaska Dispatch
The fracking process used to extract oil and gas -- injecting sand, chemicals and water to free the petroleum from underground rocks -- has sparked concerns over contaminated groundwater in the crowded Lower 48. But the process might be less ...
That was one helluva conspiracy last night on <em>Person of Interest</em>
io9
So it turns out — get this — that a corrupt SEC guy (see clip above) is working with a corrupt banker to mess with the value of the stock so they can do a bunch of shady buys and sells right before a bill allowing fracking passes. If you have ...
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Albany gas drill foes see veto-proof vote
Albany Times Union
The news conference came even before a second judge later Friday upheld the rights of towns to banfracking, this time in the Otsego County town of Middlelfield. If no other lawmakers change their votes, Sanos' support could give the measure's ...
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Ghost project leaves behind more mysteries
The Livingston County News
What she observed during her trip to the Towanda, Pa. related to fracking told of a sad environmental story. My Niagara Falls, NY home town of the 1950's survived several years of the Niagara Power Project. Prosperity for everyone was the byword.
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W. Pa. tests: Chemicals in drilling area water
Watertown Daily Times
23, 2012 file photo, signs opposing the hydraulic fracturing process of drilling for gas, or "fracking" are posted at the front of the yard of Janet McIntyre 's Evans City, Pa. McIntyre says state environmental officials refused to do follow-up tests ...
Skepticism Surrounds Gas Industry's Export-or-Die Narrative
Press Action (blog)
About a year ago, the Sierra Club finally realized, after listening to the message of smaller, grass-roots anti-fracking groups in Pennsylvania and New York, that the shale gas revolution was doing great harm to the environment.
Saturday Open Thread: Gas Edition
Big Government
He needs to sign an executive order to allow exploration, drilling and fracking (if indeed that is a word) everywhere that would produce energy in the states. His speech the other day give me the feeling that he's not interested in doing the right ...
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Ruth A. Remple: Save our neighborhoods from oil and gas development
Daily Camera
26, 2-3:30 pm, Trail Ridge Middle School Auditorium, 1000 Button Rock Drive, Longmont, 9th Avenue and Weld County Road 1. We the people, have less than 60 days to designate some regulation to stop the mindless pollution of our city. Fracking should be ...
New York Fracking Ban: Judge Rules Towns Can Prohibit Drilling
Huffington Post
By Dan Wiessner NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - In a blow to the oil and gas industry, a judge has ruled small towns in New York have the authority to ban drilling - including the controversial method known as fracking - within their borders.
Decision on Dryden's fracking ban could set a national precedent
Syracuse.com
In New York, the controversy over state regulation of fracking has been brewing for years. In 2008, New York effectively put drilling on hold while it launched an environmental analysis of fracking, a process that uses a mix of highly pressurized water ...
Dryden Becomes New York's Test Town on Fracking
New York Times (blog)
Dave Makar, a former member of Dryden's five-member board who voted for the fracking ban, said plans for a celebration were underway. When he heard of the court decision Tuesday, he said, “I texted woo-hoo!”
See all stories on this topic »NY court decision bolsters anti-fracking movement
Wall Street Journal
New York has had a moratorium on issuing drilling permits for horizontal gas drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," since 2008 while it drafts new regulations. The new technology has allowed companies to extract previously ...
See all stories on this topic »Study: Fracking does not contaminate groundwater
The Steubenville Herald-Star
WHEELING - As natural gas industry leaders tout a new report stating that fracking is unlikely to contaminate groundwater, biology professors set to speak on the topic Monday at Wheeling Jesuit University question the study's merits.
See all stories on this topic »Fracking safeguards hit Senate hurdles
Queens Chronicle
“The problem is that in the Senate, Republicans are in favor of fracking, and they don't want any restrictions on the process,” Avella said. The senator is the ranking Democrat on the Senate's Environmental Conservation Committee.
Maximize Promise of Fracking by Solving Safety Problems: View
Bloomberg
The increase in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the technique used to tap natural gas from shale, brought down the fuel's price by 32 percent last year, to less than $3 per million Btu. Expanding the practice -- to New York State, for example, ...
Dryden fracking ban upheld by zoning lawsuit decision
Ithaca College The Ithacan
This case could set a precedent for other towns in the area that have banned or are considering banning fracking on municipal land. There is currently a similar case under way in Middlefield. The City of Ithaca and the towns of Danby and Ulysses have ...
See all stories on this topic »Fracking fluid rules expected by year's end
Calgary Herald
Hill said that's mostly because there's been less fracking for dry gas in Alberta than in BC and other regions with shale gas plays, due to geology and low gas prices, and a greater focus on oil and liquids-rich gas that requires less fracture fluid.
See all stories on this topic »Court ruling gives hope to fracking foes
The Journal News | LoHud.com
The decision led opponents of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to call for more local governments to pass a ban or moratorium on the drilling process, citing the decision as proof that municipalities have that right. “By upholding Dryden's fracking ...
See all stories on this topic »Fracking stimulates economy, generates jobs
WatertownDailyTimes.com
By KENNETH A. SCHWARZ If a person had to use one word to explain America's enormous success with extracting natural gas from shale, that word would be “fracking”. Thanks to new advances in the drilling technology called fracking — short for hydraulic ...
See all stories on this topic »This is a 'fracking' good story
The La Vernia News
The movie “Gasland” presents a terrifying story of the dangers of fracking. It's terrifying, but not quite true. On the movie website, www.gaslandthemovie.com, the current gas drilling boom is called the largest in history. It credits Halliburton for ...
In the Zone: Judge Rules NY Town Can Ban Fracking
Triple Pundit
By Bill DiBenedetto | February 23rd, 2012 0 Comments One way to stop fracking is to do it one town and county at a time. New York Supreme Court Justice Phillip R. Rumsey ruled this week that the Town of Dryden, NY has the right to adopt zoning rules ...
The Fracking Landscape: A Tale of Two Pennsylvanias
The Atlantic
But fracking can be a messy and dangerous business, and locals complain that the law takes control away from citizens who have battled hard for local decision-making. Watch the video and you'll see a tale of two Pennsylvanias: The first one, ...
See all stories on this topic »EPA chief: 'Fracking' can be OK
Asbury Park Press
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said that fracking can be done cleanly. / ASSOCIATED PRESS GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson told energy industry leaders and ...
See all stories on this topic »Fracking Opponents Hosting Meeting Tonight in Kent
Patch.com
Public invited to 6:45 pm event at Kent Free Library to plan campaign to ban fracking. By Kasha Legeza On Feb. 11 fracking protesters marched from The Kent Stage to "the rock" on Kent State University's front campus, where they painted their request to ...
WOUB to host panel on 'fracking frenzy'
Athens NEWS
Hydraulic fracturing (known as fracking), the controversial water-intensive industrial process that drillers use to collect the oil and natural gas held in shale formations, will be the focus of a program on WOUB's "Newswatch In-Depth: Fracking Frenzy ...
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Dryden court decision could open door for local fracking bans
North Country Public Radio
(02/23/12) A judge in Cortland County has upheld the Tomkins county town of Dryden's ban on gas drilling within its borders. As the Innovation Trail's Matt Richmond reports, this is just the first step in what could be a long process.
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EPA Administrator Says Fracking Can be Safe
International Business Times
Jackson told a forum the controversial drilling practice known as fracking could be conducted in a way that prevents environmental damage. "I think that fracking as a technology is perfectly capable of being clean. I do. But it requires people who are ...
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Company, Town Reacts to Ruling on Fracking Ban
WBNG-TV
She doesn't want fracking on her farm. "This initial ruling is so important not only boosting our spirits here in Dryden but giving support to all of the town boards everywhere who are just sitting on the fence considering a moratorium or considering a...
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As Fracking Boom Hits Ohio, Deceptive Industry Practices Squeeze Landowners
The Indypendent
Ohio is the latest state hit by fracking mania. The process, which requires pushing millions of gallons of water, sand and industrial chemicals into shale wells to fracture rock and push out oil and gas, took off after the discovery of massive natural ...
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Green MEP sends message of support to Forest Row fracking meeting
Mid Sussex Times
At Ardingly Reservoir Green MEP Keith Taylor meeting anti-fracking campaigner Vanessa Vine and other campaigners to hear about water pollution fears. GREEN Party MEP Keith Taylor delivered a message of support to people concerned aboutfracking in Mid ...
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Citigroup: Shale oil fracking has killed peak oil
Wired.co.uk
Hydraulic fracturing -- or fracking -- techniques being applied to shale gas reserves across the States. Fracking is a process where highly-pressurised liquid is pumped deep below ground, fracturing giant veins in rocks. Natural gas seeps out, ...
A closer look at the facts on fracking
BlueRidgeNow.com
We've all heard the sound bites, "fracking is safe," "nuclear power is cheap, safe, green energy," "climate change is not man-made" and so on. These self-evident "truths" have become the mantras of political parties, the platforms of political ...
See all stories on this topic »Fracking debate sheds wilful ignorance
Financial Times
Sir, A special thanks to Martin Wolf for a sober set of reflections on the potential trade-offs of “fracking” (“Prepare for a golden age of gas”, February 22). Mr Wolf cites an article in the November 2011 Scientific American, which “suggests that it ...
Study: 'Fracking' a 'safe process'
OneNewsNow
The study was conducted by the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, and Steve Everley of the pro-oil and gas group Energy in Depth (EID) says it adds to what many regulators and scientists have already found about "fracking.
Alsop Seeks Chorus for “Fracking” Music Video, Feb. 25
Topanga Messenger
Being the conscientious citizen he is, musician Peter Alsop is concerned about “fracking,” the process of taking natural gas out of the ground by fracturing the sub-surface rock and forcing water with chemicals into it under high pressure.
See all stories on this topic »Letter: Fracking not a concern in California
Mercury-Register
As head of the Department of Conservation's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, I know the type of fracking portrayed in "Gasland" is not routinely employed in California because the geology is different. In some parts of the country, ...
Hydrofracking opponents hope judge's decision fuels municipal drilling bans
Ithaca Journal
The decision led opponents of hydrofracking to call for more local governments to pass a ban or moratorium on the drilling process, citing the decision as proof municipalities have that right. "By upholding Dryden's fracking ban, Judge Rumsey has ...
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Judge's Ruling Complicates Hydrofracking Issue in New York
New York Times
Parties on all sides are trying to figure out what the ruling will mean, but a consensus emerged on Wednesday that there will be further court challenges and delays over when, how and where the process, known as hydrofracking, will be allowed in the ...
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Judge upholds Dryden's hydrofracking ban
YNN
A judge rules the Town of Dryden can keep its hydrofracking ban. Our Tamara Lindstrom has more on the decision and what's next in the legal battle. Then come back here and refresh the page. TOMPKINS COUNTY, NY -- It sounds like the latest David versus ...
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Nunda town council approves hydrofracking moratorium
Dansville-Genesee Country Express (blog)
The town is looking at the county's road use agreements pertaining to hydrofracking to get ideas on how to adopt a similar agreement for town roads; as well as look at information on hydrofrackingcoming out of studies from Cornell University and ...
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Towns in New York state get the power to stop hydrofracking
Times Herald-Record
At that point, the localities might have to decide which is more expensive — paying the industry to go away or paying the bill for the damages they fear hydrofracking will bring. More likely, this decision will add to the chill already hovering over ...
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Avella to Discuss Hydrofracking, Redistricting at Douglaston Civic Meeting
Patch.com
Tony Avella, D-Bayside, will discuss hydrofracing and redistricting at the Douglaston Civic Association's March 8 meeting. The group will meet at 8 pm at the Community Church of Douglaston, located at 39-50 Douglaston Parkway.
Colden residents voice their concerns about hydrofracking
Metrowny.com
9 meeting of the Colden Town Board centered on the issue of hydrofracking for natural gas. Several citizens came forward during the meeting to urge the town board to examine the issue closely and to find out what safeguards the town can take to prevent...
Little Falls split on hydraulic fracturing moratorium
Utica Observer Dispatch
By ROB JUTEAU That is according to Bruce Przybyl, principal geologist for the New York State Unconventional Gas Service and a project manager for URS Corporation, who addressed an audience of more than 60 people for and against hydrofracking at the ...
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Solar Power, Global Warming, Frack Waste Targets Of Enviros' “Super Bills”
Politics on the Hudson (blog)
The three bills hit on three of the biggest environmental issues in New York: Renewable energy, global warming, and hydrofracking. One of the so-called “Super Bills,” as the groups have dubbed them, would create a Solar Renewable Energy Certificate ...