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Articles in the Drilling Down series from The New York Times examine
the risks of natural-gas drilling and efforts to regulate this rapidly growing industry.
August 21, 2012
By THOMAS KAPLAN
ALBANY — As Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration finishes up new regulations on where and how to allow hydraulic fracturing in New York State, groups on both sides of the issue are turning to the airwaves in a late-inning effort to press their cases.
The advertisements are appearing in the Southern Tier region, just north of the Pennsylvania border, where the Marcellus Shale rock formation is rich in natural gas, and where communities may have to give local approval for drilling to be allowed in their area under a plan being pursued by the administration.
The State Department of Environmental Conservation, which received tens of thousands of submissions in a public-comment period that ended in January, has not revealed just when it will release its rules on hydraulic fracturing. But opponents of the technology, also known as hydrofracking or fracking, are working with an increased urgency amid speculation that Mr. Cuomo’s administration could finish its work soon.
“Certainly there’s a feeling that a decision is on the horizon here, and we want to make sure that folks are educated,” said Seth Gladstone, a spokesman for Food and Water Watch, a consumer advocacy group sponsoring a new television ad scheduled to appear on Wednesday. “There’s no time like the present to be vocal on this.”
The television advertisement opens with an image of Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, and concludes with a plea for New Yorkers to call his office and, in the words of the narrator, “tell Governor Cuomo there’s no safe fracking.”
Hydrofracking involves injecting large amounts of sand, water and chemicals deep underground at high pressures to extract natural gas from rock formations. Opponents argue that the process risks contaminating the water supply with toxic chemicals.
The New York Times reported in June that Mr. Cuomo’s administration was developing a plan that would limit hydraulic fracturing to parts of several Southern Tier counties, and would permit it only in communities that support the drilling technology. The Times said the plan would limit drilling to the deepest areas of the Marcellus Shale in an effort to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Conservation, Emily DeSantis, said Tuesday that the department intended to release its regulations this year. “Our review of high-volume hydraulic fracturing is continuing, and no decisions have been made,” Ms. DeSantis said in an e-mail.
Voters remain divided on the issue. In a new poll released by Siena College on Tuesday, 39 percent of likely voters said they supported allowing hydrofracking; 38 percent opposed it. That was virtually unchanged from when Siena last asked voters about hydrofracking, in May.
“These kinds of decisions are a politician’s worst nightmare,” said Steven A. Greenberg, a Siena pollster. “No matter what the governor decides here, half the people in the state are not going to like his decision.”
Still, both sides continue trying to build pressure on Mr. Cuomo and to influence public opinion.
Hydrofracking opponents, some dressed as cows, demonstrated last week outside a gathering Mr. Cuomo held to discuss the state’s growing yogurt industry. Protests are planned at a policy conference he is hosting in Manhattan on Wednesday and at the opening day of the State Fair near Syracuse on Thursday. And a group of artists that opposes hydrofracking — led by Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon, and including Lady Gaga and Paul McCartney — is planning to begin its efforts in Manhattan next week.
Two coalitions of landowners and businesses that support hydrofracking began a new advertising campaign last week, arguing that fracking would be an important source of new jobs and economic activity. Those groups are running an advertisement in newspapers in the Southern Tier, as well as 30- and 60-second radio ads in Albany and the Southern Tier, that focus on President Obama’s support for expanding natural gas production; the ads are scheduled to continue for several weeks.
The radio advertisements include Mr. Obama saying, at an appearance in Cincinnati last month, that “there are a lot of folks right now that are engaging in hydraulic fracking who are doing it safely.”
“We agree with you, Mr. President,” a voice says. “Governor Cuomo, please listen to the experts: issue clear, statewide guidelines for safe natural gas development now.”
By contrast, the new television ad by Food and Water Watch focuses on the possible environmental risks from hydrofracking, like groundwater contamination. The group said it was spending tens of thousands of dollars on the ad campaign — a modest amount, but money that will go further in the relatively inexpensive media markets of Binghamton and Elmira. It said the ad would be broadcast hundreds of times over two weeks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/nyregion/hydrofracking-ads-pro-and-con-come-to-new-york-state.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion
Dec. 1, 2011 | Landowners and Landmen
Ruth Fremson/The New York Times
Jared Ely near gas wells leased on his family's land near Dimock, Pa. His father, Scott, says the leases should have been clearer.
By Ian Urbina
Americans have signed millions of leases allowing companies to drill for oil and natural gas on their land in recent years. But some of these landowners — often in rural areas, and eager for quick payouts — are finding out too late what is, and what is not, in the fine print.
Oct. 19, 2011 | The Fine Print
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News
By Ian Urbina
Worried about property values, and landowners signing leases giving companies the rights to drill on their lands without clearance, lenders are reinforcing restrictions.
Aug. 3, 2011 | Evidence Surfaces
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
By Ian Urbina
Industry executives as well as regulators have said that fracking has never contaminated underground drinking water. But there is at least one documented case.
June 27, 2011 | Widespread Skepticism
Kathy Chruscielski
By Ian Urbina
Energy companies have worked hard to promote natural gas as the fossil fuel of tomorrow, and they have found reliable allies in Washington. But not everyone agrees.
June 26, 2011 | Natural Gas Investments
Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times
By Ian Urbina
As investment floods into shale wells, concerns about their productivity are spurring talk of a bubble.
March 4, 2011 | An Agency's Limits
Kevin Moloney for The New York Times
By Ian Urbina
Amid pressure from the industry and Congress, federal regulators are divided over the scope of their powers, leading to limited enforcement and narrowed research.
March 2, 2011 | An Imperfect Solution
Alistair Fuller/Associated Press
By Ian Urbina
Though it has helped the natural gas industry reduce its wastewater, recycling has not eliminated all the hazards.
By MIKA GRÖNDAHL, BILL MARSH and GRAHAM ROBERTS
An interactive graphic of waste disposal and other hazards in drilling for natural gas.
February 27, 2011 | The Waste Problem
Todd Heisler/The New York Times
By Ian Urbina
A method to extract more natural gas often produces wastewater laced with toxic substances.
By Erik Olsen
A method to extract more natural gas often produces wastewater laced with toxic substances.
Extracting Natural Gas From Rock
By GRAHAM ROBERTS, MIKA GRÖNDAHL and BILL MARSH
An interactive graphic looking at the process and hazards of hydraulic fracturing.
Annotated Documents
Over the past nine months, The Times reviewed more than 30,000 pages of documents obtained through open records requests of state and federal agencies and by visiting various regional offices that oversee drilling in Pennsylvania.
Documents
Politics, Recycling and Tracking of Natural Gas Waste
The most significant documents on wastewater recycling, with annotations from The Times.
The Debate Over the Hydrofracking Study’s Scope
In 2010, Congress urged the Environmental Protection Agency to study the environmental impacts of hydrofracking. The study’s findings may lead to changes to federal regulation of the industry.
Industry Privately Skeptical of Shale Gas
Leaked industry e-mails and reports show growing concerns about a shale gas bubble.
Federal Officials Quietly Question Shale Gas
Hundreds of industry e-mails, internal agency documents and reports by analysts show disagreement among government officials and public cheering despite private doubts.
Documents
Questions have emerged from bankers, credit union officials, insurers, real estate experts and appraisers about the potential impacts that oil and gas leases on residential and farm mortgages.
News about natural gas, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
... A meeting with an advisory panel is deferred, suggesting that the decision- making process will not be rushed in coming months.
· January 27, 2012 - Green Blog
E.P.A. suggests revisions to New York's planned controls on hydraulic fracturing.
· January 13, 2012 - Green Blog
New York State wraps up the public comment period on regulations it has proposed for policing a controversial gas extraction method.
· January 11, 2012 - Green Blog
Residents of Youngstown express disappointment after state officials decline to link 11 earthquakes to fracking for a deep-injection gas well.
· January 12, 2012 - Green Blog
Recent quakes in Youngstown, Ohio, were the 10th and 11th to occur near a 9200- foot-deep disposal well used in the hydraulic fracturing ...
· January 3, 2012 - Green Blog
Many boxes of comments on the prospect of horizontal hydraulic fracturing remain to be counted, state environmental officials say.
· January 17, 2012 - Green Blog
... Capitol policemen cornering the filmmaker Josh Fox at a House subcommittee session on fracking. Courtesy of EarthworksCapitol policemen ...
· February 1, 2012 - Green Blog
Despite concerns over fracking, Apache will gain control over ... States energy production to take advantage of new fracking technologies. ...
· January 23, 2012
Also missing, those groups say, is an assessment of potential health risks from fracking operations, and of the cumulative effects of multiple ...
· January 12, 2012 - By MIREYA NAVARRO
Can't find what you're looking for? Try Advanced Search with enhanced date filtering
A "fracking" operation near Big Wells, in which water and chemicals are injected deep underground to extract oil and natural gas. ...
January 15, 2012 - By KATE GALBRAITH - U.S.
... Mr. Fox is preparing a sequel to "Gasland," which has contributed to widespread concern about fracking, which uses large volumes of water ...
· February 1, 2012 - Green Blog
New Yorkers debate next steps on the fate of the state's vast natural gas resource .January 23, 2012 - Dot Earth
Whatever the result, the split among the industry critics reflects how the opposition has exponentially hardened since fracking emerged as a ...
· January 10, 2012 -
· By PETER APPLEBOME - N.Y. / Region
News about Andrew Cuomo. Commentary and archival information about Andrew Cuomo from The New York Times.
New York's Fracking Deliberations Inch Along. By MIREYA ...
· 32100 and Counting: New Yorkers Speak Out on Fracking. By MIREYA ...
But fracking has come under fire from environmental advocates and politicians, who have raised concerns about the well-development method. ...
· January 3, 2012
... We should responsibly promote fracking to develop natural gas. Some of the ideas were lamentable. Instead of simplifying the tax code, ...
· January 27, 2012 - By DAVID BROOKS
... While hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is currently banned in North Carolina, that hasn't stopped gas companies from buying leases for potential ...
· January 30, 2012 - Green Blog
... Treehugger. Energy News Recap: Palm Oil Biodiesel Fails US Biofuel Standard; Vermont's Fracking Ban; More ...
· January 30, 2012 - Green Blog
Times Topics: Southwestern Energy CompanyFracking for Natural Gas - Economics vs. Environment. By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and TOM ... New Lawsuit Filed in Fracking Country. TOM ZELLER JR. A group of ...
Fracking bragging "By the way..public research dollars.(developed) the tech. to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock" #dotSOTUWed ...
· January 24, 2012 - Dot Earth
... oil and natural gas, here in the United States, because of fracking," referring to a drilling process that involves injecting chemicals ...
January 10, 2012 - By MATTHEW L. WALD - Business Day / Energy & Environment
... gas and oil can be extracted through a technique called hydraulic fracturing , or fracking - have been an active source of deal-making. ...
· January 3, 2012
Related Coverage
Aug. 18, 2011New York Subpoenas Energy Companies Over Claims About Gas Wells
Aug. 11, 2011Panel Seeks Stiffer Rules for Drilling of Gas Wells
June 29, 2011Lawmakers Seek Inquiry of Natural Gas Industry
May 6, 2011Chu Names Panel to Study Fracking
April 16, 2011Chemicals Were Injected Into Wells, Report Says
April 7, 2011Pennsylvania Calls for More Water Tests