Contaminated Water

Working with the Draft:

The Draft SGEIS can be found online and downloaded as a searchable pdf. If you want to locate a specific passage in the Draft, use "find" feature to locate key words or the section numbers cited in parentheses. For example typing in the word "6.1.4.2" will take you to "Fluids Pumped into the Well". Comments that cite specific language in the Draft will be taken more seriously.

Please consider using the following talking points to customize your letter. Your unique and specific comments are important to the DEC and will give your letter more weight.

Talking Points:

The Dec, 2011 EPA: Investigation of Ground Water Contamination near Pavillion, Wyoming found high concentrations of benzene, xylene, and gasoline range organics, diesel range organics in ground water samples.
Toxic chemicals are used at every stage of natural gas development. See Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracturing
Fracking fluids contain benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene in a volatile mix that adversely impacts human health and the environment. The Fossil Fuel Connection
Federal oversight of natural gas production was weakened by the 2005 Energy Act. See A Spreadsheet Detailing Industry Exemptions from Important Environmental Laws
Many federal environmental laws don't apply to gas drilling: Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, and CERCLA. See Burning Question: What Would Life Be Like Without the Halliburton Loophole?

Resources:

The Endocrine Disruption Exchange's pioneering work on the health effects of the hundreds of chemicals used in fracking and other stages of natural gas production. Health Effects Spreadsheet and Summary. The list currently contains nearly 1,000 products, but it is by no means complete

Catskill Citizens provides comprehensive Newsroom and Learn More sections. Among the articles and reports you'll find are Gas Drilling Doublespeak Categories Fracking Oil & Gas. Landowners Say Companies Kept Them in the Dark on Risks, Deadly Gas Industry Coverup Revealed by NC5 and Leaked Congressional Report: Even 'Fracking' Companies Can't Identify All the Chemicals They Use.

Subject:

Your Letter:

To Whom it May Concern:

The Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (The “Draft”) states “More recently regulatory officials from 15 states have testified that ground water contamination as a result of hydraulic fracturing …has not occurred” (6.1.4.2, page 6-41).   This is merely a reiteration of the standard industry line, and it does not square with reality.  In fact there has long been an ever expanding body of anecdotal evidence that links drinking water contamination to fracking, and now there are at least two EPA reports that clearly identify this link.  The first is a 1987 report described by Ian Urbina in his article called “A Tainted Water Well, and Concern There May Be More” which was published last August.  The second is “The Investigation of Ground Water Contamination near Pavilion Wyoming” by the United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, December 8, 2011” which states “data indicates likely impact to ground water that can be explained by hydraulic fracturing”.

As this latest EPA report demonstrates, information regarding the dangers of HVHF is continually expanding. In order to protect drinking water supplies, New York State should await further studies before permitting high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF).  The EPA’s “Study of Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water”, which is due to be released in 2012 and 2014, will assist the DEC in determining whether HVHF should ever be permitted in New York State.

Sincerely,

Contaminated Water

NSY DEC New York State