FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR- 175-10 April 23, 2010 STATEMENTS OF MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND COMMISSIONER HOLLOWAY ON STATE'S DECISION TO REQUIRE SEPARATE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FOR ANY DRILLING IN UNFILTERED WATERSHEDS Statement of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg “From the beginning, we said any decisions on drilling in the Marcellus Shale must be based on detailed scientific reviews that specifically take into account the unique nature of the City’s unfiltered water supply and assess any potential harm. The City commissioned a study last year to analyze the impacts of hydrofracking in the watershed and found that this technique poses a significant threat to the quality of the water supply that nine million New Yorkers rely on every day. “The portions of the Marcellus Shale where the City’s watershed lies must be treated differently and the Department of Environmental Conservation’s decision today recognizes that crucial fact. We firmly believe, based on the best available science and current industry and technological practices, that drilling cannot be permitted in the City’s watershed. We are confident that the additional reviews now required for any drilling proposal in the watershed will lead the State to that same conclusion.” Statement of Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway “The New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation’s decision that hydraulic fracturing
cannot be permitted in the New York
City and Syracuse watersheds based on
the information we have today recognizes that protecting New York’s water supplies
must be our top priority. Case-by-case environmental reviews must now be
conducted as part of any plan to explore natural gas drilling in these
watersheds, a requirement that recognizes the unique characteristics of the
2,000 square miles that support and protect our unfiltered water supply, and the
potential danger posed to the watershed by high-volume hydrofracking and
horizontal drilling. New York
City has invested more than $1.5 billion in watershed
protection programs, including the purchase of more than 100,000 acres of
watershed lands, which allow the water supply of nine million New Yorkers to
remain
unfiltered. MEDIA CONTACT: Stu Loeser/Marc La Vorgna (212) 788-2958 Mike Saucier (Environmental Protection) (718) 595-6600 |
|