Photo of 12/2 meeting to discuss gas drilling risks held at the Davenport Firehouse, courtesy of Mike Wilkie.
This week, residents of Otsego and Delaware counties got an earful on the risks associated with a rush on horizontal gas drilling in the region.
On Wednesday's meeting of the Otsego County Board of Representatives, about a dozen citizens showed up to voice concerns about drilling. The Daily Star reports:
Among the speakers were:
Stella DeCesare of Middlefield, who asked the board to set up a special fund for relocating people if their water is contaminated and homes are made uninhabitable.
Adrian Kuzminski of Fly Creek, a member of Sustainable Otsego, who said the county board is "our last line of defense," as the federal government has granted exemptions from environmental laws and the state government has gutted the state Department of Environmental Conservation, firing Commissioner Pete Grannis and laying off staff.
Yesterday evening, the Delaware County town of Davenport hosted a discussion about the risks of drilling, featuring a former Mobil exec and local environmental advocates as panel speakers. Local anti-drilling group Frack Off was pleased with the turnout:
There was a great turnout of concerned residents last night at the “Gas Drilling in Davenport” panel presentation and open discussion. About 80 – 90 people showed at the Davenport Firehouse ready to learn, ask questions and speak their minds. At the presentation were folks with many different views, but most left questioning if drilling for gas is appropriate at this time. Many seemed surprised to here how many risks are involved and how little regulation there is. The one thing that really surprised the audience is that a drilling operation by DEC regulation can be as close as 150 feet to any water source, such as a spring, stream, pond or other body of water. That is the same distance a backcountry camper must be from a water source in our state parks (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7872.html); hmmm, something doesn’t sound right here…
