NY
Attorney General Demands Full Environmental Study; NYTimes
Reports
Natural Gas Companies Responsible for Injection of Hundreds
of Millions of Gallons of Hazardous Chemicals in Over 13 States;
and Cornell Study Finds Fracked Gas More Dangerous to Climate
than Coal
NEW YORK - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today pledged
to sue in 30 days if the federal government doesn’t commit to
conducting a full environmental review of proposed regulations
that would allow natural gas drilling – including the
potentially harmful "fracking" technique – in the
Delaware River Basin. Click
here to read the full story
In
August of 2010, Catskill Mountainkeeper, along with 24 other
conservation and community organizations from across the US,
asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a
congressional committee to investigate whether natural gas and
oil companies broke the law by injecting diesel fuel underground
during hydraulic fracturing processes. On Sunday, April
16th, the New York Times published an article highlighting some
of the findings from this investigation.
In
the last week two important developments have helped give
momentum to our fight against the dangerous and destructive
process of hydrofracking.
The
Dangers of Fracking Are Front Page News in the New York Times
On Saturday,
April 16th the New York Times featured a front-page
article on the dangers of fracking. Ian Urbina, the
reporter who wrote the three-part series on fracking that was
published several weeks ago, reported on the recent
investigation by Congressional Democrats, which found that oil
and gas companies are responsible for the injection of hundreds
of millions of gallons of dangerous toxic chemicals in wells in
over 13 states between 2005 and 2009.
This article
confirms and publicizes what Catskill Mountainkeeper and you
have known for quite a while – that many of the over 300
chemicals used in fracking are highly toxic, dangerous and in
numerous cases carcinogenic. Further, the risk of cross
contamination to our water supply is real and if that were to
happen the results would be devastating. It is further
indication that the fight against fracking is increasingly going
mainstream. This is an important development in continuing to
educate our government officials and the public. To
read the full article click here
Scientific Study Reveals that Shale Gas from Fracked Wells
Produces More Greenhouse Gas than Oil, Coal or Conventional Gas
One
of the mantras of the natural gas industry has been that unlike
other fossil fuels, natural gas is clean burning and emits lower
levels of potentially harmful byproducts into the air. In
a groundbreaking study released last week, Cornell University
professors Robert W. Howarth, Renee Santoro and Anthony
Ingraffea repudiated this allegation. Their scientific
study found that the footprint for shale gas is actually greater
than that for conventional gas or oil when viewed on any time
horizon and in comparison to coal, the footprint of shale gas is
at least 20% greater and perhaps more than twice as great on the
20-year horizon.
Natural gas is composed largely of methane, a powerful and
damaging greenhouse gas with a global warming potential that is
far greater than carbon dioxide, particularly over the time
horizon of the first few decades following emission. The study
found that between 3.6% to 7.9% of the methane from shale-gas
production escapes into the atmosphere in venting and leaks over
the lifetime of a well which is at least 30% more than and
perhaps more than twice as great as those from conventional gas.
The higher emissions from
shale gas occur at the time wells are hydraulically fractured --
as methane escapes from flow-back return fluids -- and during
drill out following the fracturing.
This stunning revelation
undermines one of the key tenants of the rationale for drilling
for natural gas in the United States. Officials and even
some environmental groups have justified gas drilling as a
bridge fuel to meet our energy needs in the coming century.
Now we not only know that the process of drilling for gas using
hydrofracking is unsafe, we know that it has greater potential
to increase global warming than other fossil fuels.
This study substantiates
the rush to drill using hydraulic fracturing in New York State
should be slowed down until all the facts are known.
Catskill Mountainkeeper continues to strongly advocate that
drilling should not be allowed unless it can be proven to be
safe.
Click
here to read the study
Next Step – Make Sure As Many People As Possible Are Aware
Of These Important Developments
Movements
for positive change turn into action and obtain critical mass
when broad segments of the public become aware, motivated and
active. Frequently that’s when Government gets the message,
overcomes organizational inertia and does what’s needed.
The battle to
prevent unsafe and dangerous gas drilling has the potential to
approach the necessary critical mass now.
Take Action
Now!
First, forward
this action alert to everyone on your contact list so they can
understand the size and scope of the threat.
Second, click on the links
below to send a note and a copy of this scientific study to:
·
Governor
Cuomo
·
NYS
DEC Commissioner Joe Martens
·
EPA
Administrator Judith Enck
·
Your
Legislators
