Mikaila Adams
OGFJ Associate Editor


NEW YORK - The New York State Senate passed a moratorium on gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale to allow time for a comprehensive study to determine the effects of hydraulic fracturing, if any, on the state’s water supply.

Late Tuesday, the bipartisan senate voted in favor of the moratorium (S8129B/Thompson) by a vote of 48 to 9. The moratorium, which would delay drilling permits until May 15, 2011, must still be approved by the state assembly and signed by the governor.

Senator Antoine Thompson (D-parts of Erie and Niagara Counties), chair of the Senate’s Environmental Conservation Committee said, “In a recent round of hearings, the DEC received more than 14,000 comments on this issue. More time is needed to digest those comments and make an informed judgment if adequate safeguards can be put in place to allow hydro-fracking while still protecting our valuable and irreplaceable fresh water.”

Senate Majority Conference Leader John L. Sampson said, “Much of the Southern Tier, Central New York, the Hudson Valley, and New York City all draw their water from the area proposed to be explored from the Marcellus Shale. That is why we must fully understand the impact of drilling, and potential consequences, before breaking ground. 

The Marcellus shale play runs through northern Appalachia, primarily in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, and Ohio. The formation runs an estimated 600 miles north to south, and is estimated to hold as much as 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, about 50 tcf of which is recoverable using current technology.