Meetings, hearings on Marcellus exploration
The Tompkins County Council of Governments plans two meetings on natural gas issues:
* Public information session, 7 p.m. today at the Unitarian Church, 306 N. Aurora St. in Ithaca. The presentations on the state draft generic environmental impact statement are intended to help citizens understand the proposed.
* A public hearing on the dSGEIS, 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at the State Theatre, 107 W. State St., Ithaca.
These are in addition to public hearings conducted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation on its draft generic environmental impact statement:
* 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, Stuyvesant High School auditorium, 345 Chambers St., New York.
* Thursday, Nov. 12, Chenango Valley High School, High School Auditorium, 221 Chenango Bridge Road, Chenango Bridge. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for individual questions and speaker signup. The public comment session will start at 7 p.m.
* Wednesday, Nov. 18, Corning East High School Auditorium, 201 Cantigny St., Corning. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for individual questions and speaker sign up. The public comment session will start at 7 p.m.
Natural gas riches under the Southern Tier will remain untouched a bit longer as the state has extended the debate over its drilling policy until year's end.
Responding to pressure to more thoroughly air issues related to safety and oversight of Marcellus Shale drilling, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced Wednesday it would give the public an additional 30 days to comment on a new regulatory proposal.
The document, called the supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement, updates regulations for the type of drilling needed to effectively tap the Marcellus, which runs from the Southern Tier through the Appalachian Basin. The Marcellus requires horizontal drilling and large quantities of water and chemical additives to fracture the shale and release gas.
Drilling has become a hot issue for those who welcome its economic promise, and for those who say it's not worth the environmental risk.
Not surprisingly, industry proponents said the extension was unnecessary. Drilling opponents characterized it as essential.
The 800-plus page technical document is simply too big for many stakeholders, including municipal officials, to process and respond to in a short period, said Stan Scobie, a Binghamton resident and industry watcher.
"It's becoming extraordinarily clear that people - grass roots groups, landowners, lawyers, municipal officials, just about everybody - needs time to come to grips with this issue," he said.
Mark Scheuerman, manager of media affairs for Fortuna Energy, said the company had anticipated an extension of the lengthy process.
"It's been a frustration for us," he added.
Permits for Marcellus production have been on hold as the state began reviewing and updating regulations in the summer of 2007. A draft of the report was released Sept. 30. DEC staff has to include responses to all concerns raised during the comment period in the final report. Verbal comments will be taken at public hearings, including Nov. 12 at Chenango Valley High School in the Town of Fenton, and Nov. 18 at Corning East High School.
Yancey Roy, a spokesman for the DEC, said the state felt people needed more time to submit comments, given the complexity of the proposal.
