Riverkeeper Supports NYS Senate’s Proposed Hydrofracking Legislation

Testifies that legislative action on hydrofracking is urgently needed

Riverkeeper testified in Albany today at the Senate Democratic Conference Public Forum on Hydraulic Fracturing along with our partner organizations and fellow advocates.

Riverkeeper urged swift legislative action to address the substantial flaws in the state’s hydrofracking proposal and to end significant gas industry exemptions that exist in the state’s regulations. Specifically, Kate Hudson, Watershed Program Director for Riverkeeper, testified about the urgent need for: a health impact assessment on hydrofracking; closure of a regulatory loophole that currently excludes the gas industry from hazardous waste requirements; clarification of municipal home rule authority; and a moratorium on the issuance of high-volume hydrofracking permits, for at least a year, to provide DEC with the time necessary to address serious deficiencies with its proposal.

Governor Cuomo has insisted that science will determine if New York State allows industrial gas drilling by means of hydrofracking. But he is breaking this pledge by failing to gather all of the facts before making a decision. Riverkeeper urged the Senate today to take advantage of the opportunity to slow down this process and pass legislation this session to protect New Yorker’s health, safety, and environment.