Members of a key advisory panel in New York that would someday govern hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the state say they won’t meet their deadline Tuesday (Nov. 1), because they need more time to gather critical information and budget requests from state agencies.

Meanwhile a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found that voters in New York are almost evenly divided over whether the state’s portion of the Marcellus Shale should be developed. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also lauded Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s position on fracking.

New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joseph Martens announced last Tuesday, Oct. 25, that the High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Advisory Panel (HVHF) he appointed would not meet its deadline to complete an interim report.

“The panel will be given sufficient time to this process,” DEC spokeswoman Lisa King told NGI, adding that the HVHF will meet again on Nov. 9. “Panel members suggested that state and community resource needs and potential funding sources be looked at together. They will take the time it needs to consider the issues and come up with thoughtful recommendations.”

The delay was reportedly welcome news to the elected officials, industry experts and environmental advocates who make up the panel, which Martens appointed in July (see NGI, July 4). King reiterated that the DEC would not issue any fracking permits until the panel completed its work and state regulatory guidelines were in place.

“The panel is asking a lot of very important questions,” Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo (D-Binghamton), a panel member, told the Ithaca Journal. “One whole set of issues has to do with state resources and what agencies besides DEC are going to need to provide additional staffing and equipment, and those numbers haven’t come back to us yet.”

Brad Gill, executive director of the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York (IOGA), also said the industry respected the panel’s request for additional time.

“The panel should complete its work in a timely manner, and we certainly hope that 2012 will see permits flowing and wells drilled,” Gill told the Public News Service.

According to the Quinnipiac poll, 44% of voters in New York support drilling because of the economic benefits while 43% oppose it over environmental concerns. Those figures indicate that support for drilling has slipped since polls were published on Sept. 21 and Aug. 11, indicating voters backed drilling by marks of 45%-41% and 47%-42%, respectively (see NGI, Sept. 26; Aug. 15).

Capitalnewyork.com, a New York City-based media website, said Bloomberg endorsed fracking during a press conference at a clothing store in the city on Thursday.

“I think the governor, our governor, has it just right,” Bloomberg said. “Governor Cuomo said he didn’t want fracking in the watershed [of New York City]. I agree with that. But you shouldn’t walk away from an energy source that we need.”

The proposed fracking rules unveiled by the DEC in September are based upon a revised draft supplemental generic environmental impact statement on the practice (see NGI, Sept. 12). Those recommendations include requiring operators to disclose the chemicals used in fracking, and prohibiting drilling in all primary aquifers, the watersheds of New York City and Syracuse, and all state-owned land. A 60-day comment period is currently in effect.

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