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The town of Manheim’s proposed one-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing has been submitted to the Herkimer - Oneida Counties Regional Planning Board for review.
That is according to town Supervisor John Haughton who said Tuesday evening the town expects the board will find no adverse county-wide effects during their review of the local law.
He added the regional planning board met earlier this week and that he anticipates the town will receive the board’s findings shortly. Once the findings are received, a public hearing will be scheduled.
“I don’t see the board coming back with any statements saying the moratorium will have a negative county-wide impact,” he said. “If anything, the moratorium will have a positive impact.”
Hydraulic fracturing of underground rock, or “fracking,” combined with more recent technology of horizontal drilling, has enabled companies to begin extracting oil and gas from shale formations.
The town council has contended broken or cracked vertical well casings have been known to release fluids from the process near the surface of the ground, and that risks are posed by storage of the fluid in above-ground facilities. They have also contended trucking of mass quantities of water and fluids for the process pose significant risk of damage to municipal roads and the town’s water supply.
The Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York has said repeated delays and uncertainty associated with exploration of the state’s natural gas reserves have resulted in the loss and erosion of the state’s job base and the stability of many local businesses. IOGA of NY has also said state regulations help to protect the environment better than having a patchwork of local rules, which is what IOGA of NY said would occur if municipalities are left to determine where drilling can occur.
In addition, IOGA of NY has said the Marcellus Shale does not sit beneath Manheim, and that the area may be one day suitable for Utica Shale development, but that is probably years off.
“I read a letter to the editor from Dennis Nagle about Dimock, Pa., where a major contamination of the aquifer has occurred. The drilling contractor is now delivering water weekly to the residents affected by the contamination. We don’t want anything like that to happen here,” said Haughton.
“We need our water,” said town Councilman Peter Jaikin. “That’s what this is about — our water.”
Haughton said David Slottje, the senior attorney with the Ithaca-based Community Environmental Defense Council who prepared the proposed moratorium on behalf of the town, will be invited to attend the public hearing. Haughton said the hearing may take place at the Dolgeville Firehouse.
“We anticipate a big turnout for the hearing,” he said. “There is a lot of public interest in this matter and I’m sure people will want to sign up to speak. I look forward hearing what people have to say.”
The town of Manheim’s proposed one-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing has been submitted to the Herkimer - Oneida Counties Regional Planning Board for review.
That is according to town Supervisor John Haughton who said Tuesday evening the town expects the board will find no adverse county-wide effects during their review of the local law.
He added the regional planning board met earlier this week and that he anticipates the town will receive the board’s findings shortly. Once the findings are received, a public hearing will be scheduled.
“I don’t see the board coming back with any statements saying the moratorium will have a negative county-wide impact,” he said. “If anything, the moratorium will have a positive impact.”
Hydraulic fracturing of underground rock, or “fracking,” combined with more recent technology of horizontal drilling, has enabled companies to begin extracting oil and gas from shale formations.
The town council has contended broken or cracked vertical well casings have been known to release fluids from the process near the surface of the ground, and that risks are posed by storage of the fluid in above-ground facilities. They have also contended trucking of mass quantities of water and fluids for the process pose significant risk of damage to municipal roads and the town’s water supply.
The Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York has said repeated delays and uncertainty associated with exploration of the state’s natural gas reserves have resulted in the loss and erosion of the state’s job base and the stability of many local businesses. IOGA of NY has also said state regulations help to protect the environment better than having a patchwork of local rules, which is what IOGA of NY said would occur if municipalities are left to determine where drilling can occur.
In addition, IOGA of NY has said the Marcellus Shale does not sit beneath Manheim, and that the area may be one day suitable for Utica Shale development, but that is probably years off.
“I read a letter to the editor from Dennis Nagle about Dimock, Pa., where a major contamination of the aquifer has occurred. The drilling contractor is now delivering water weekly to the residents affected by the contamination. We don’t want anything like that to happen here,” said Haughton.
“We need our water,” said town Councilman Peter Jaikin. “That’s what this is about — our water.”
Haughton said David Slottje, the senior attorney with the Ithaca-based Community Environmental Defense Council who prepared the proposed moratorium on behalf of the town, will be invited to attend the public hearing. Haughton said the hearing may take place at the Dolgeville Firehouse.
“We anticipate a big turnout for the hearing,” he said. “There is a lot of public interest in this matter and I’m sure people will want to sign up to speak. I look forward hearing what people have to say.”
