Fracking- Just as Dirty as it Sounds!

I have recently been introduced to the term fracking. I thought the fellow telling me about it was just being cheeky but no, it's an actual term. Fracking is the shorthand way of saying hydraulic fracturing- a method of drilling that includes injecting fluid into an oil/gas deposit to fracture the rock and release the oil/gas. Energy and gas companies want to drill in the Marcellus Shale, a formation of sedimentary rock that stretches from NY State to Tennessee, for natural gas. Last year Gov. Paterson signed a law that would allow companies to drill this area in New York. In 2005 Congress passed the "Halliburton Loophole" that exempts hydraulic fracturing from the reach of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which regulates most drilling in drinking water resources. However, many concerned citizens and public officials are concerned about the wastewater pollution and environmental health effects this is going to have on the NYC watershed and other watersheds located throughout this region. The DEC has released reports that fracking can cause radioactive wastewater. Fracking is known to release toxins during the drilling process that can then contaminate the aquifers and wells. The Chesapeake Energy Co. owns leases on some of the land but they have promised that they will not drill in the area. Some public officials are calling for written statements that declare there will be no drilling done. The DEC has been holding public hearings that are beginning to get quite heated.
Here is a video of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer at the recent DEC hearing at Stuyvesant High School.

This is an interesting debate that I will continue to follow closely and hopefully attend one of the open hearings.
One of our other bloggers blogged about hydraulic fracturing in an earlier post in the context of the citizen's right to know. Check it out here.