Tell the DEC & Gov. Cuomo to Account for the Public Costs of Fracking
November 15, 2011
Riverkeeper Team
Photos from left: courtesy WVSORO.org, credit: Jay Simpson
Riverkeeper is urging the Governor and DEC to correct its fracking environmental impact statement (known as the SGEIS), so that it takes a hard look at the true costs of fracking on New York’s communities and industries. Please read Riverkeeper’s letter to DEC (PDF) and take action with us, by commenting on the state's proposalsby Jan. 11.
DEC’s Economic Assessment Report, an addendum to the impact statement, contains hundreds of pages discussing possible economic benefits of fracking, and yet dismisses the potential negative economic impacts without quantifying the likely costs to communities.
The impact statement contains no estimate of costs to communities associated with increased demand for community social services, police and fire departments, first responders, local hospitals, among others. Similarly, the SGEIS does not explain how our governments are to deal with the hundreds of millions of dollars in annual road costs associated with the extraordinary number of truck trips needed to frack a well.
The impact statement ignores the potential negative impact to agriculture from land and water contamination risks.
Potential negative impacts on tourism – one of New York’s most important industries – are similarly dismissed without any serious consideration in the impact statement.
Join us today in calling on New York State to correct its fatally flawed SGEIS and account for this in the public comment process. Anything less is unacceptable in justifying a process that has the potential to cause irreparable damage to our lives and environment. The public has only until Jan. 11 to make a difference. Use our guide to comment on the state's flawed fracking proposal today.