Growing attention to natural gas drilling in this region continued Tuesday with an exchange between state Senate candidates about a moratorium and a decision by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to withdraw from a public meeting in Greene.
Democrat Donald Barber, who is challenging state Senator James Seward, R-Milford, for the 51st District state Senate seat, proposed the moratorium, which Seward opposes.
The two offered their viewpoints five days after about 700 people attended a meeting at Unadilla Valley Central School in New Berlin. That gathering was one of several held recently, as companies eye what may be rich gas deposits in shale and vie to secure drilling rights.
A boom is on, Barber said, but the regulators are not up to speed.
A generation ago, nearly all drilling was vertical and little was to be found in central New York.
The renewed interest comes as prices skyrocket and technological advances permit deep drilling, horizontal drilling and rock fracturing.
``The industry has changed, and from what I've seen, the DEC is not prepared. But we need the DEC and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to do their jobs right now,'' said Barber, who is Caroline's town supervisor.
``I want to make it clear that I favor extracting natural gas and I want to see this area prosper,'' he said, ``but not at the expense of compromising our land.''
Barber said the DEC should investigate environmental risks, develop a strategy to contain them, and explain the risks to the public.
When extracting oil from shale, drillers pumping in massive amounts of water to fracture rock and release gas. This water, which may be mixed in with toluene and other chemical lubricants, can threaten drinking water, Barber said.
``When I read DEC regulations, they talk of keeping water out of gas wells, but now they're pumping it in,'' he said.
``I think we should slow down and do this right,'' he added. ``If the gas is down here, it's not going anywhere and the price has been rising.''
Barber also suggested that state officials set minimum standards for gas-leasing contracts to protect landowners and municipalities.
Seward asked concerned property owners to consult with lawyers or state experts as they weigh the benefits of leasing their land, but he strongly opposed a moratorium.
``Mr. Barber obviously likes home fuel oil prices at $5 a gallon and our dependence on foreign oil,'' he wrote in an e-mail to The Daily Star. ``Calling for a moratorium on the development of alternative energy supplies at a time of record oil prices is irresponsible and a kick in the pants to hard-working, middle-class taxpayers, who will have to heat their homes this winter."
Seward continued, saying that Barber was taking "an extremist position" in opposing a potential revenue stream to farmers, other property owners and local governments.
``I believe we need alternative energy that will help people pay for home heating costs and that the state should help property owners be informed and careful about signing leases,'' Seward wrote.
Seward said property owners should consult an attorney, contact his office for the pamphlet "A Landowner's Guide to Oil and Gas Leasing" or contact the DEC at (585) 226-5373 or www.dec.ny.gov/energy/205.html.
Public meeting in Greene
The exchange between candidates came on the same day as another public meeting, sponsored by the Chenango County Farm Bureau, scheduled in Greene.
Earlier in the day, Bradd Vickers, Farm Bureau president, said three experts from the State Department of Environmental Conservation had decided to cancel their appearances at the public meeting.
``Apparently, they weren't very happy with the meeting they went to at Unadilla Valley last week,'' he said.
At that meeting, attended by about 700 people, DEC officials shared the stage with Elmira lawyer Chris Denton, who represents the Central New York Landowners Coalition. Denton, who asked industry representatives to leave the auditorium, then advised property owners not to sign company-sponsored leases, but to work with their neighbors in the coalition to get a better price and legal protections.
Lori O'Connell, DEC spokeswoman, said the agency pulled out of the Farm Bureau's event ``because we want to have our own meeting, with just our people there.''
Such a meeting may take place in July, she said.
Print this story
E-mail this story
