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Judge Helene G. Goldberger (above) presided over the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Gas Well Drilling in the Marcellus Shale Public Hearing Thursday evening, December 4.  Elected officials, representatives from gas companies and gas industry groups, and members of the public gave their comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.  The crowd filled the bleachers of Sullivan County Community College’s Fieldhouse basketball court.  The vast majority of speakers were opposed to the drilling for a range of concerns, from drinking water to environmental degredation to health concerns.  Regarding the lack of oversight, one woman stated that “I give the government an F minus.”

Below are illustrations and excerpts from the comments of each person who spoke.

“The ecosystem is our economy… The prospect… is extremely threatening… carcinogenic… radioactive… The DEC doesn’t have enough staff.”

“We have an obligation to all our residents… Road damage and use… they have circumvented this process.”

“Global issues… not local issues… More hearings are needed… no NYC hearing… 10 times more toxic than offshore oil… A contamination emergency… the same thing will happen in New York… No permits should be issued by the department.  We cannot sacrifice water for gas.  Our streams will be ruined.”

“Scare tactics… Some of these people oppose any type of energy development… Energy independence is a national security issue.”

“We’ve seen the devastation drilling has caused… We’ve heard the DEC parrot the same claim… Damaging information was redacted from the report… by Dick Cheney’s office… It excludes the impact of construction of 100s of miles of pipelines.  The DEC does not have the proper resources.”

“My husband has seen accidents on sites… how fast will spills be cleaned up? …will every spill be reported?  The workers defecated on the side of the road.”

“The Town of Highland was the first to enact a moratorium.   We need… home rule… we know the area and you don’t.”

“What is the cost-benefit of doing this?  There’s no mention of any risk analysis… hazardous chemicals… There should be a delay and moratorium.”

“It brings significant wealth to the wealthy… community character… I beg to differ.  There have been profound short and long-term consequences [on] community life… increased crime – 30% increase in crime… Like living in a war zone…  I give the government an F minus”

“Tapping this low cost and efficient fuel… It wouldn’t be like a gold rush… Natural gas… demand is projected to increase… of the frack fluid… Land owners can expect to receive royalties in excess of $100 million.”

“The lies the gas industry promotes to hide the truth… waterunderattack.com… What I witnessed was absolutely devastating health effects… Kim Webber… her land was contaminated… she suffers from brain lesions… Rick… his blood tested positive for [toxic compounds]… Theo… I’m worried about brain damage”

“We need to get this right in New York State… This needs to be treated as a programmatic DEIS… How much methane and natural gas will be leaking?  Hundreds of trucks… millions of gallons of water… traffic impacts are not going to be looked at… We need to have a Zero Risk Policy when it comes to our drinking water supplies.”

“How can we be sure the gas company will have the incentive to talk to the town?  The gain… cannot be borne on the backs of others.”

“Environmental Justice… seems to be missing… There’s no avenues of redress… NY State leads in diesel deaths… Enforcement and monitoring… DEC… isn’t hiring… People have a right to know.”

“I’m from NYC… Our 8 million stakeholders have been excluded from this hearing… BRING these hearings down to NYC… Water is the real staff of life… There are 275 chemicals to be used… I’m sure these are not milk and honey substances… The economy is a subsystem of the environment… Consider the replacement cost of the environment.”

“I ask DEC to consider all the costs… The degradation of the community, the water… An aquifer cannot be restored… What is the cost of a child’s future?  More hearings are necessary… Damascuscitizens.org.”

“The DEIS should include… an evaluation of the chemicals… We need to understand the scale of this project… Approval of one well at a time… as many as 25,000 wells… 50,000 wells.  It will be an industrial zone… 250 billion gallons of water… 1 gallon of toxic chemicals can contaminate a million gallons of water… The industry has a master plan and it should be made public… The only reason to drill is for money.”

“The best EIS is nothing more than a feel good piece of paper… RISK to drinking water… NO RISK IS PERMISSABLE… The threat to drinking water is indisputable.”

“50% well casings fail… The FDA strictly limits the amount of benzene…”

“Get a good environmental attorney, and SUE – starting with the DEC… Human Health – the county has to be strong… I’m very afraid of NYC… The only way you’re going to stop this company is to sue it… Are these companies going to be required to pay county sales tax?”

“There is a compelling need for transparency in this process… I’m compelled to raise the issue of aesthetics.”

“Conflicts of interest… There is no known way of restoring the purity of this contaminated water… Which politicians… have received campaign contributions from the gas companies?”

“The quality of life in Bethel and Sullivan County… It is an invasive and potentially dangerous proposition… No site plan review before my town’s planning board…”

“Accountability of the fracking fluid… There are many areas available for dumping if no one’s looking… I still believe this important information should be recorded.”

“Who will be held accountable when our water is compromised?  Asthma… brain lesions… If gas companies have lied elsewhere, why not here in N.Y.?  Water is our most precious resource… Are we so arrogant that… we turn a blind eye?  There should be no drilling allowed.”

“They’re doing it because there’s nobody there to stop them… How are you going to enforce this?  When a flood comes, I’ve found picnic benches… tires for trucks… and a six foot Minnie Mouse… It’s going to get downstream.”

“Floods are not accidents… Noxious and harmful ozone… 900 spills… 20% of those got into… ground water… Oil and Gas Accountability website.”

“Conservation easements… threats to water, open space, and general life… We encourage you to re-evaluate how towns and boards [can be involved].”

“The gas companies use any tactic to get drilling rights… I understand there are 19 [DEC agents] in the entire state.”

“The watershed provides drinking water to over 17 million people… It is not, and should never become, an industrial zone… Why won’t the gas industry disclose?”

“Catskill Mountainkeeper… The impacts need to include… pipelines… even if [someone else] has regulatory authority… Waste water treatment and disposal… the sludge that could build up over time.”

“When the mines closed down… We should really try to analyze what long-term impacts there are for the future… 150 years… It may take 50-150 years… for problems to surface… Let’s not make any more time bombs for our children.”

“The need for additional planning… DEC is insufficiently staffed… How the industry interacts with communities… There is a severe disconnect between the [corporate responsibility statements] and how these companies behave… In NO CERTAIN TERMS should political pressure be applied to an agency.”

“We have the cleanest water in the entire state… As a community, we should be ashamed.”

“CC recommends… all steps should be taken… [Water should be returned to the source watershed]… Steel tanks should be required… The public has a right to know what is being used in its soil… Public Water Protection Fund.”

“There’s absolutely no reason to do the drilling [when] they use poison… If this does happen, there will be catastrophic accidents… Look into the integrity of the people who are doing the drilling.”

“I have a fair aount of experience at these hearings… We believe [Sullivan County] wells will not produce gas… I don’t believe you’re going to see… thousands… of wells… I would ask the DEC… to limit the drilling to a few wells.”

“Schlumberger…”

“Use of water… untold millions of gallons of water… What sort of Emergency Response Team?  The cumulative effect on fisheries… One well can use 9 million gallons of water… Massive ground water pollution… wrecked infrastructure.”

“The only acceptable [route] is prohibition… We keep being told that this can’t happen and it keeps happening… Many scientists are concerned that [these wells] may contaminate ground water… There is no acceptable disposal method… Abject lies.”

“The purpose of the GWPC… comprehensive groundwater protection… This practice is considered safe… I put biocides in my swimming pool.”