Elmira Star Gazette

I'm beginning to wonder if high-volume hydraulic fracturing, the method of extracting natural gas from tight shale formations underground, will ever be allowed in New York.

I don't say that because opponents have successfully lobbied against it. I say that after looking at the enormity of the task now facing New York's Department of Environmental Conservation.

ALBANY -- New York City's Department of Environmental Protection called on state officials Wednesday to ban natural gas drilling in the Catskills watershed, saying it would pose too great a risk to the city's upstate drinking water system.

The DEP took that position in response to the state Department of Environmental Conservation's draft regulations on gas drilling in New York's portion of the Marcellus Shale region, which includes parts of the Catskills where reservoirs supply drinking water for 9 million people.

Natural Gas Companies' “Hydrofracking” Represents a Dangerous Threat to the New York State Ecosystem, New York City Water Supply

Horseheads school officials say potential problem being taken seriously

Toxic waste lies underneath much of Horseheads, Elmira Heights and the Newtown Creek watershed and allows vapors to enter homes, Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting in Ithaca said Thursday.

Hang notified the Horseheads Village Board about the estimated 7,680-acre area in an e-mail he sent Thursday.

HORSEHEADS -- Village officials acknowledged Wednesday what Horseheads residents have suspected all along -- that a proposed Schlumberger Technology Corp. project has the potential for adverse environmental impact.

A group of Chemung County residents is preparing to sue the Village of Horseheads, if necessary, to prevent the proposed Schlumberger project from proceeding without an environmental impact statement.

"I'm in discussions with other larger environmental groups to help bring additional legal action if it's required," said Helen Slottje, 42, of Ithaca, the lawyer representing the residents.

Horseheads Mayor Donald Ziegler said he had not yet seen the letter but had heard about it. He declined to comment on the matter Wednesday.