Official First Family Photograph

The Obamas in the Green Room, Sept. 1, 2009, with Sasha, second from left, and Malia, right. (Annie Leibovitz for the White House)

DEC & DEP Holding Hearings on Marcellus Shale

AAEA opposes drilling in the New York City watershed to produce natural gas from the underground Marcellus Shale layer. AAEA believes this activity could threaen New York City's drinking water supply and it simply is not worth the risk.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is currently drafting regulations to govern natural gas drilling in New York.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has scheduled four public hearings on the draft supplemental generic environmental impact statement (DSGEIS) for gas drilling in New York.

- Wednesday, Oct. 28, Sullivan County Community College, E Building, Seelig Theater, 112 College Rd., Loch Sheldrake, NY 12759.

- Tuesday, Nov. 10, Stuyvesant High School, High School Auditorium, 345 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10282.

- Thursday, Nov. 12, Chenango Valley High School, High School Auditorium, 221 Chenango Bridge Rd., Chenango Bridge, NY 13901.
- Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the Corning East High School Auditorium, 201 Cantigny St., Corning. Doors will open at 6 p.m.
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The NYC Council’s Environmental Protection Committee will be holding a hearing on gas drilling at 10 am Friday, October 23rd in the Committee Room at City Hall. The Council is considering a resolution calling for a ban on drilling within the NYC Watershed and other important environmental areas.

Marcellus Shale Natural Gas

AAEA opposes drilling in the New York City watershed to produce natural gas from the underground Marcellus Shale layer. AAEA believes this activity could threaen New York City's drinking water supply and it simply is not worth the risk.

AAEA-NY wants regulators to amend current state rules to bar drilling in the New York City watershed: a million acres of forests and farmlands whose streams supply the reservoirs that send drinking water to eight million people. Accidental leaks could threaten public health and require a filtration system the city can ill afford. State officials worry that if they deny landowners the right to lease the mineral resources under their property — 70 percent of the watershed is privately owned — they will face expensive “takings” claims. But the state has a right and responsibility to prevent drilling that poses a clear danger to public health.

Marcellus Shale is a subterranean layer of rock curving northward from West Virginia through Ohio and Pennsylvania to New York’s southern tier. The shale contains deposits of natural gas that could add to the region’s energy supplies. The process of extracting it, however, is not risk-free. Known as hydraulic fracturing, it involves shooting a mix of water, sand and chemicals — many of them highly toxic — into the ground at very high pressure to break down the rock formations and free the gas. The technique is used in 90 percent of the oil and gas operations in the United States. And while most drilling occurs without incident, “fracking” has been implicated in hundreds of cases of impaired or polluted drinking water supplies in states from Alabama to Wyoming.

The dangers are particularly acute in the Marcellus Shale, which, unlike the relatively shallow formations found elsewhere, lies miles underground. Getting the gas out will require far more water and heavy doses of chemicals. (NYT, 10/16/09)

AAEA-NY To Host Energy Forum at CUNY's Segal Theatre

The African American Environmentalist Association (AAEA) will host Air Quality and Electricity: Why it Matters to You on Friday, October 30th from 10:00am-12:00pm at City University of New York’s Segal Theatre, located at 265 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

The event will include discussions on Energy in New York, air pollution, green jobs, the Waxman-Markey Climate Change Bill and the New York State Energy Plan.

To attend please RSVP by calling Lesley Cothran at(202) 944-3840 or via email at lcothran@urbanomics.com