We are at a critical crossroads here in New York City, where our most precious resource - our drinking water - is threatened by the twin threats of greedy Natural Gas companies and a near-bankrupt state looking for revenues anywhere it can get them.
Please see the PSA here to see the hazards involved in drilling for Natural Gas in the sensitive Catskill reservoir region:
and to learn why fracking is not all it's cracked up to be. Or, see the movie trailer for Gasland:
Remember, once we lose our water supply to Natural Gas drilling, it will be almost impossible to get it back. We will have to spend billions to filter water from the Catskills - our main source of NYC water - or to
clean toxic chemicals directly out of the reservoir.
It's also worth noting that Natural Gas prices hit a historic low yesterday, dropping below $4 per million Btu and that
"Strong domestic production is also putting downward pressure on
prices, contributing to lower imports of natural gas. Contrary to
expectations of production declines because of a reduction in drilling
activity last year, domestic production remains strong. Production
from unconventional gas fields, such as the Marcellus Shale in the
Northeast/Appalachia region and the Haynesville Shale in Louisiana, is
growing steadily. According to the March edition of EIA's Short-Term
Energy Outlook (STEO), dry production this month is expected to reach 56.2 Bcf per day, a forecast that is about 3.5 percent higher than the projection in the November 2009 STEO."
This is according to the Government's Natural Gas Weekly update:
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/ngw/ngupdate.asp
There simply IS no shortage of Natural Gas; there is a record glut.
We do NOT need to drill in vulnerable areas to supply our needs, we
have too much Natural Gas already.
issue. We have a right to it. Natural Gas companies do NOT have a
right to take it away.