CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

A representative of the state Department of Environmental Conservation has canceled an appearance at Wednesday's meeting on gas drilling in Oneonta.

The cancellation comes as the agency has been instructed by Gov. David Paterson to update its rules on gas drilling and as thousands of upstate New Yorkers lease out their land to drillers.

The Otsego County-sponsored meeting will be held as scheduled, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Oneonta High School, with other speakers addressing concerns of property owners and the public, according to Otsego County Planning Director Terry Bliss.

Earlier this week, Bliss was notified by Bradley Field, director of the DEC's Division of Mineral Resources, that, ``As we discussed this morning, department staff will not be able to attend the scheduled Aug. 6 meeting. We have determined that the best use of our resources at this time is to focus on development of a supplement to the existing generic environmental impact statement (GEIS)."

The GEIS will address how drilling proceeds in the Marcellus and Utica shale beds that underlie much of central New York.

``We will be holding public hearings across the state as part of the scoping process,'' Field wrote.

About a month ago, the DEC also canceled an appearance at a public meeting in Greene, sponsored by the Chenango County Farm Bureau.

That session drew more than 700 people.