Environmental Advocates of New York

the [green] capitol insider

October 19, 2009

Welcome to Environmental Advocates of New York’s online newsletter from the State Capital, your source for environmental news. We update you every other week with tidbits and observations carefully gleaned from the halls of the Capitol.

GOVERNOR RAIDS CLEAN ENERGY FUNDS TO FILL BUDGET GAP
As part of Governor Paterson’s $5 billion deficit reduction plan, the Governor proposes sweeping $90 million from the pool of auction proceeds generated by New York’s role in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and cutting the Environmental Protection Fund by $10 million. While we’ve come to expect cuts to the State’s environmental fund, the RGGI raid was a surprise. As far as we’re concerned, using RGGI monies for anything other than energy efficiency or clean energy development is a big mistake.

Environmental and energy groups called on the Governor to back off his misguided plan to send RGGI monies into the black hole that is the State’s general fund. Click here to read the groups’ statement. Doing so sets a dangerous precedent for the nation’s first-ever plan to reduce global warming.

While this one-time contribution may help balance New York State’s budget in the short run, it pales in comparison to the long-term job creation and investment benefits, as well as reductions in climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions, the monies would have achieved.

Years of research related to the development of the RGGI showed that the program’s success hinges on the wise use of revenue generated by allowance auctions. The Governor’s proposal jeopardizes the success of this critical program and serves as a bad example to other cash-strapped states.

Click here to read more in the New York Times.

And here in the Times Union.

DEC SCHEDULES PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR DRAFT DRILLING GUIDE
In late September, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released a draft guide to regulate natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation. The DEC opened up a 60-day public comment period on the long-awaited guide.

Environmental Advocates of New York thought this was a step in the wrong direction and said so. We called for at least 90 days for public comment and public hearings in the communities most likely to be affected by the hazards of a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.”

In other parts of the country, including nearby Pennsylvania, fracking for natural gas has resulted in toxic chemical spills. And because the Marcellus Shale formation lies beneath the Southern Tier and Catskills regions, which are home to a great deal of New York’s drinking water, we’re not sure that rushing to drill is such a smart idea. The gas has been there for millions of years. What’s the rush?

We aren’t alone in our concerns, either. The New York State Senate and Assembly have both held hearings to discuss water-related issues, and fracking dangers top most advocates’ lists of concerns.

Late last week, the DEC announced four public comment sessions on the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement governing potential natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. The meetings will be held in Loch Sheldrake (Sullivan County) on Oct. 28, New York City on Nov. 10, and Chenango Bridge (Broome County) on Nov. 12. A fourth meeting is being planned for the Elmira-Corning area. Click here for details.

Click here to read the draft drilling guide.