Representatives from a variety of agencies, organizations and other interested stakeholders will be brought together to form the Chemung County Executive's Advisory Commission on Natural Energy Solutions.
Formed by County Executive Tom Santulli, the commission will study the potential opportunities and impacts associated with natural energy development in the county, according to a news release.
"There's going to be someone from every discipline. We've got a lot of work to do," Santulli said Friday morning after the Chemung County Chamber of Commerce Economic Forum, which focused on the Marcellus Shale.
"We want to be a clearinghouse so that when issues arise we can give clear issues based on fact."
The commission's first priority will involve a review of potential natural gas drilling activities in the Marcellus Shale to make recommendations on minimizing negative impacts while maximizing benefits for the public, the release says.
The commission also will identify and examine the issues associated with natural energy development to help residents and stakeholders understand their impact, the release says.
Santulli said the task force will be headed by Mark Watts, the county's director of natural resources, and Andy Fagan, director of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Commission members will include representatives from the county executive's office, county Legislature, Planning Department, Health Department, Highway Department and the Emergency Management Office.
Representatives also willinclude Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County, the County Farm Bureau, Soil and Water Conservation District, Environmental Management Council and the Water Quality Committee, as well as law enforcement, the Rural Association of Mayors and Supervisors, Chamber of Commerce, a business representative, and three at-large community members.
* Meanwhile, officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that they are beginning a study into hydraulic fracturing.
The controversial natural gas drilling technique involves blasting chemically treated water into the earth to extract the gas from underground deposits.
