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Thursday, September 02, 2010 - 2:52:22 PM
Local News
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Gas Drilling Advocates Rally To Pressure Albany - 1/14/2010
People in favor of natural gas drilling say a lot of information out there is false, and that the fear its generated is keeping natural gas drilling from moving forward.FOX 40 went to a meeting Thursday designed to brainstorm ideas to rebuttal these allegations and to find ways to put pressure on Albany.
Advocates of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale say their voices aren't being heard.
"I feel very frustrated," said Richard Lasky, The President of the Central New York Landowners Coalition.
A meeting hosted Thursday by Assemblyman Clifford Crouch rounded up dozens of people ranging from landowners, industry officials, scientists and politicians with a strong goal in mind, to clear up what they insist are mere allegations and not facts, that hydraulic fracturing could contaminate ground water.
"No one has been able to establish that any contamination has occurred from hydraulic fracturing that contaminated water supplies," said Petroleum Engineer David Keefe.
David Keefe has been a petroleum engineer for the past 50 years, he says he came to the meeting Thursday to find ways to get this message across to Albany.
"There is no way in the world that once we've drilled a well and cased it and cemented the casing, that any of those fracking fluids at five thousand feet would ever get back up, they couldn't possibly contaminate those formations, yet that allegation is repeated over and over again," said Keefe.
Keefe says what happened to people's groundwater in Dimock Pennsylvania was due to operator error and had nothing to do with hydraulic fracturing.
"The Cabot Corporation hired some contractor to drill that well and didn't properly cement the surface casing, that has nothing to do with the Marcellus surface down below," said Keefe.
But Keefe says not everyone knows that, and Conklin Town Supervisor Debbie Preston says some media coverage of gas drilling has been slanted in favor of the critics.
"So what I think the media needs to do is show both sides, not just the side that will initiate fear into the people," said Preston.
That's why the Broome County Executive believes lobbyists need to be hired by coalitions and the industry to talk to the media and to put pressure on the state.
"It might require hiring professionals to visit Albany, to lobby Albany to get the word out, and to try and meet more with the media to have a balanced view on the industry," said Broome County Executive Barbara Fiala.
These people say gas drilling advocates are the silent majority and its up to them to get natural gas drilling underway by this summer.
And Fiala will help lead the way, the county is hosting another meeting next month.
**FOX 40's Jessica Kadlub Reporting**
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