CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued its draft regulations for high-volume hydraulic fracturing which are based on the proposed requirements contained in the agency’s revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement.

A public hearing has been scheduled 1-4 and 6-9 p.m. Nov. 16 in the Dansville Middle School auditorium.

“Public review of the proposed requirements and regulations governing high-volume hydraulic fracturing is an important part of the environmental impact statement process,” DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said. “The comments from the 2009 public comment period proved insightful and helped inform the revised SGEIS. We look forward to continuing to hear from commentors in person and in writing over the next few months.”

The draft regulations create a legal framework for implementing the proposed mitigation measures in the revised dSGEIS. The public comment period on the draft regulations runs concurrently with the public comment period on the dSGEIS, which ends Dec. 12. DEC also released the proposed State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System General Permit for Stormwater Discharges associated with high-volume hydraulic fracturing.

DEC will host four public hearings on the revised draft SGEIS, draft regulations and proposed SPDES GP. Each public hearing will have a 1-4 p.m. afternoon session and a 6-9 p.m. evening session. Comments will be accepted in written and oral format at the hearings.

The hearings will be:

◦Nov. 16: Dansville Middle School Auditorium, 31 Clara Barton St., Dansville, NY 14437
◦Nov. 17: The Forum Theatre, 236 Washington Street, Binghamton, NY, 13901
◦Nov. 29: Sullivan County Community College, Seelig Theatre, 112 College Rd, Loch Sheldrake, NY 12759
◦Nov. 30: Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street, New York, NY, 10007

Read the entire article