Drilling Survey Response Needed

NY Senator Tom Libous (R-Binghamton) has an on-line survey on gas drilling which everyone must respond to ASAP. Libous is clearly in the pro-drilling camp. Generally the only people who access his website are already "Drill Baby Drill" believers. The  concern is that he will use the results of the survey to "prove" that everyone wants there to be no extension of the public comment period on the DSGEIS, that they all have complete faith in the DEC recommendations as is, and that they want drilling to commence immediately.

Please respond to the survey and show that we DO need an extension of the comment period, we are NOT satisfied with the DEC recommendations as they stand, and we do NOT want drilling to commence until all of the data is in, and the safeguards are in place.

Responding to this survey is not taking an anti-drilling position. It's just taking the position — which has been echoed by most politicians from Sen. Gillebrand to Mayor Bloomberg to many of the Sullivan County legislators — that the DEC's comment deadline of Nov. 30th is wholly inadequate.

Here's the website link.  It will take you 3 minutes, one for each question, because it's set up to knock you off after each question. Just keep using your back key to answer all three.

http://www.libous.campaignoffice.com/index.asp?Type=POLLING&SEC=%7B3DCCB57C-5FA5-4D3C-B76F-3E913DA544C8%7D 

Please forward this link to friends and acquaintances.

Comments

[Jim Nixon]

Did you see this?

What's going to happen Dave????

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091018/NEWS/910180327

Sullivan County would do well to look at Pennsylvania experience with fracking / Drilling has brought benefits and troubles

[David Knudsen]

Yup, I saw it. It posted as a comment on another thread, and a few different folks emailed it to me yesterday. I don't have a crystal ball and don't know what's going to happen on the NY side. But I do think drilling on this side will be somewhat different. PA, in general is a much less regulated state. Sure, you enjoy lower taxes on that side, but the flip side is less regulation, from zoning and subdivision to gas drilling. One of the most interesting facts in that article is that there have been 94 wells drilled in that part of PA over the past two years. As of yet, there have been none drilled in Sullivan.

It's also interesting that leasing by the gas companies over in Wayne County has been going full bore, but has virtually stopped here in Sullivan. It isn't just the economy — Hess just struck a multi thousand acre, multi million dollar leasing deal over in Wayne. I don't think the gas companies are anywhere near as confident they will prevail and get their way on the NY side. I do think that horizontal drilling in some form will be approved for this part of the Catskills, but likely with far more restrictions, regulation and oversight — and that will translate into higher extraction costs for the gas companies.

The next few months are going to be very interesting, as the DEC works through the approval process for the supplementary environmental impact statement. The anti-drilling forces and the "let's go slowly and be cautious" forces are well organized and getting better organized every day, as drilling grabs headlines. I think the gas companies have realized they have formidable foes in New York and it's not going to be a slam dunk. If they believed it would be quick, easy and all to their liking, they'd be leasing like mad over here, wouldn't they?

[Billie]

Dream on.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/opinion/19mon1.html?_r=1

[Bix]

I don't see legislative paralysis necessarily helping the gas drillers. What it shows is that New York is drowning in red tape, and red tape is somethimg you don't want if you're a gass driller.

But there's no question that we've got to be vigilant to keep the gas drillers from turning Sullivan into another Houston.

[Frank]

This most basic survey refers to a DEC draft. Where can we see it? Can't answer the question if we haven't seen the draft