Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recommendations for proceeding with hydraulic fracturing in upstate New York, according to a preliminary summary of a 900-page report that will be available on the DEC website by the end of the week, include:
-Ban on high-volume hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) in New York City and Syracuse watersheds, including a 4,000-foot buffer zone.
-Ban on drilling in primary aquifers, within 500 feet of private wells or springs, and within 2,000 feet of any public drinking-water supply.
-Ban on drilling on state-owned land, while leaving private land up for grabs.
-Distribution of “the surface of the land” in forests of 150 acres or more and grasslands of 30 acres or more on private land “is strictly restricted by requiring applicants to comply with best management practices.”
-An additional layer of well casing will be required; no open containment of flowback water containing toxic chemicals will be permitted; and strict permitting requirements will be in place for controlling storm water, so it does not carry contaminants from the well site to drinking water sources. These solutions address problems the DEC found to be at the root of gas migration and drinking-water contamination in Pennsylvania.
-All names of chemicals used in the hydrofracking process must be disclosed to the public, although companies will be able to apply to the DEC for an exception to this rule for confidentiality based on trade secrets.
-Companies will be required to search for materials that pose less risk to human health and the environment to replace the ones currently being used in the fracking process.
-DEC estimates that with these prohibitions, more than 80 percent of the Marcellus Shale will be available to oil companies for natural gas extraction through hydrofracking.
Next…Reactions to the DEC Report
