The Democrat and Chronicle in New York state comments, “The risks (of fracking) may be substantial. Opponents point to the damage wastewater from the process could do were it to find its way into underground aquifers or the region’s Finger Lakes, which provide drinking water for hundreds of thousands, including in Rochester.”
The Finger Lakes are just south of Lake Ontario.
And NBC affiliate WHEC reports, “(Opponents) maintain fracking would bring heavy burdens on municipalities like Rochester. News10NBC asked Rochester City Council Member Loretta Scott to put a number on that, what the cost would be in dollars and cents. (She said), ‘We know the impact it could have on roadways. We also know the impact it could have on our water supply. So in order for us to determine what those impacts may be, and to look at the research, we needed to have a timeout for Rochester.'”
That news article adds, “(There are 600 local officials) who have signed on to a statewide group called Elected Officials to Protect New York. They say Governor Mario Cuomo hasn’t fully considered the costs, and the negative impact of hydrofracking on public health.”
And KTTC reported earlier this week, “Governor Cuomo came as close as he ever has to approving fracking last month, laying out a limited drilling plan for as many as 40 gas wells before changing course to await the findings of a new study after discussions with environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr… (This) could delay a decision for up to a year or longer. …The state has had a moratorium on the process since 2008… The Marcellus Shale lies under parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.”
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow will begin a 7-city speaking tour in defense of the Great Lakes on April 4, http://canadians.org/blog/?p=19278. She will be in Rochester, New York on April 25.
