Gas drilling drawing concerns over environmental impact

Just south of Oneida and Herkimer counties — near the Marcellus Shale rock formations — officials increasingly are concerned about the potential environmental impacts of a drilling practice that would be used to extract valuable natural gas.

And all that stands in the way of the controversial horizontal drilling is a set of new state regulations that are in the midst of being developed.

“The state is currently working on regulations and guidelines for the drilling,” said Erik Miller, executive director of the Otsego County Conservation Association. “But now, there is a big question mark on what those environmental regulations will look like.”

Natural gas drilling and development is nothing new in New York state. In fact, experts say it has been done for the past 100 years.

But Miller said the horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing process being discussed uses millions of gallons of water, combined with other chemicals, to extract the natural gas that is trapped in the rocks.

And the extensive use of water and chemicals is cause for concern, especially since the chemicals usually are unknown, Miller said.

“There is potential for ground water pollution,” Miller said. “About half the water that is put in the earth in this process comes back up to the surface. How will this be treated and stored?”

But Jonathan Kelafant, president of Covalent Energy based in Arlington Va., which has drilled vertical wells in Otsego County, said companies take necessary safety precautions throughout all aspects of the process.

“Water doesn’t just sit out on the surface,” Kelafant said. “We operate in a very safe manner, and have never had a problem with groundwater contamination or anything else.”

A regional conference will be held today at Morrisville State College to address the concerns of natural gas development related to the Marcellus Shale, which extends underground from West Virginia and Ohio into Pennsylvania and southern New York counties such as Otsego, Chenango and Madison.

Jim Goldstein, supervisor of the town of Lebanon in Madison County and an organizer of today’s event, said the goal of the conference is to inform local governments on the impacts of drilling and how they can be more involved.

“There is a concern over the amount of water used and waste produced,” Goldstein said. “There is also a significant impact on local roads with all of the trucks needed for development.”

“People tend to focus on the rewards and not the risks,” Goldstein said. “There are a lot of unintended consequences from drilling.”

Public input

Adrian Kuzminski, of Fly Creek in Otsego County, said he is worried that residents are not prepared for the cost of development.

“This is something we really need to look into,” Kuzminski said, who is the moderator of a group called Sustainable Otsego. “We are being asked to do something that we really don’t know the consequences of. The cost may be greater than the benefits.”

But Thomas West, an attorney who represents energy companies looking to drill, estimates the development is not only safe, but represents billions of dollars of investments and economic development in the state.

“This is the preferred fuel of choice because it’s clean,” West said. “The industry expects the DEC will continue to set high environmental standards.”

The state Department of Environmental Conservation will release updated drilling regulations that will address horizontal drilling on the Marcellus Shale this summer, after which there will be a 30 day comment period from the public before it’s finalized.

A horizontal well is first drilled down vertically to where the gas bearing rock is, at which point tools are used to curve the well so that the hole can be drilled thousands of feet horizontally within the rock, according to the DEC.

Yancey Roy, a spokesman with the DEC, said the 30 day comment period will allow local residents to share their concerns.

Roy said there are currently 15 vertical wells on the Marcellus Shale, and a host of horizontal wells in service statewide.

“We try to encourage the public to participate and share what they are concerned about,” Roy said.

And that public comment period is significantly important for safe future of natural gas development, according to experts.

“Few people know anything useful on natural gas extraction,” said Ron Bishop, a lecturer in the chemistry and biochemistry department at SUNY Oneonta. “Gas extraction changes the dynamic of a community, and people need to come to terms with that.”

The next step

West said he expects the DEC regulation process to move forward without any problems.

“Hydro fracturing and horizontal drilling is like arthroscopic surgery,” West said. “People should not be worried about contamination.”

Hydraulic fracturing includes mixing millions of gallons of water with other chemicals, and most often sand is pumped down the well under high pressure to create fractures in the rock, which allows more gas to flow into the well.

But both state and federal lawmakers say regulations still need to be developed and scrutinized.

“Drilling for natural gas could be very good thing for the area,” said Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley. “The important thing is to do it in a responsible way.”

Hinchey is co-sponsoring a bill to regulate drilling operations for gas companies.

“The bill is very simple. Tell us what you are putting in the ground,” Hinchey said.

State Sen. James Seward said drilling will help keeps dollars in upstate New York.

“There are many positives, however, there are concerns about environmental impacts,” Seward said. “We have to make sure the environment is protected, especially when our water concerned.”