N.Y. is unprepared for shale gas drilling
New York state is unprepared for deep shale gas drilling because agencies and communities do not have the resources or experience to handle what will happen.
The Department of Environmental Conservation has lost several hundred positions in recent years. Moreover, its staff has never before regulated this new and unique technology to scale. The Department of Public Health is already strained with competing pressures and priorities. At the local level, many government services are already stretched to their limits, with no additional funding.
The following scenario could occur: State personnel will be unable to monitor and inspect adequately all of the industry's operations. This is because of the possibility of high-density well pad placement and their broad spatial distribution across the region.
It will also be difficult to track the numerous waste flows in pipes, pits, vents and trucks. Multiple operations will occur simultaneously, day and night, across a wide geographical area. The state will be hard-pressed to develop the logistical means to monitor or police these many activities. Impacts will be diverse and severe.
Because of the current status of severance tax requirements, industry profits may not be available to local and state governments to mitigate and prevent these damages. In the Appalachian Marcellus, some community service providers face overwhelming conditions.
For example, firemen, paramedics and first responders are overworked, must cope with more dangerous situations and need equipment and training.
Private and public water suppliers are experiencing direct threats to water quality and potential non-compliance situations. Housing and human services providers are coping with adverse conditions never before seen in communities.
NYS residents should assume regulatory response will be hard-pressed to protect adequately the environment, community and family health.
They must figure out how to prepare before the drilling starts.
Phil Johnson
Pittsburgh, Pa.
