Gas Drilling Near Upstate Reservoirs Imperils Our Water, Mayor
Bloomberg Says
New York Daily News
24 December 2009
By Kathleen Lucadamo
The Bloomberg administration demanded a ban on natural gas drilling
near upstate reservoirs Wednesday, saying it would pose "unacceptable
risks" to the city's drinking water.
Drilling for gas in the watershed could leak toxic chemicals into
drinking water, causing unknown health risks, a report by the city
Department of Environmental Protection said.
To combat contamination, officials contend they would need to build a
giant water filtration system that would cost $10 billion to build and
$100 million a year to run.
That would translate to a 30% hike in city water rates, officials
predicted.
"As staggering as that amount of money is, it's not just about the
money," said Acting DEP Commissioner Steven Lawitts. "The risks are
simply not worth it."
The state unveiled a plan this year that permits natural gas drilling
in the so-called Marcellus Shale Formation, an energy-rich geological
area running from upstate New York to western Virginia.
Experts say drilling could pump $1 billion a year into the state's
struggling economy.
The city asked that its 2,000- square-mile watershed in the Catskills,
which falls within the Marcellus Shale, be excluded.
Gov. Paterson favors natural gas drilling because it brings jobs and
generates dollars to plug the widening budget deficit.
His office did not respond to the city report, but the issue is
expected to pit Mayor Bloomberg against Paterson.
The nation is watching the debate unfold in New York as other cities
see natural gas drilling as a quick way to generate cash without
weighing the long-term health implications.
Environmental groups oppose the practice. Reports of contaminated
drinking water associated with drilling have surfaced in Pennsylvania
and Texas.
"The governor's wrong-headed gas drilling scheme could doom the city's
unfiltered drinking water supply," said Eric Goldstein of the Natural
Resources Defense Council.
The drilling process involves shooting large amounts of water and
chemicals into rock to extract gas.
"This is not your father's gas drilling operation," said City
Councilman James Gennaro (D-Queens), who heads the Council's
Environmental Protection Committee.
The state asked for feedback on its draft drilling plan from the city
and other counties by the end of the year, a study Lawitts found
"seriously flawed" and full of "unacceptable risks" to the water supply.
klucadamo@nydailynews.com