Joseph Martens, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), has stated that the planned ban on fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, in New York can be revisited but not in the near future.
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Martens revealed the state's planned ban on large-scale fracking. The state raises concerns regarding the health impact of fracking and if economic benefits of fracking are worth it.
Senator Thomas O'Mara, who is the chairman of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, was critical about the latest fracking decision that has already angered several of his constituents who hoped to earn money by leasing some land for gas drilling.
O'Mara asked Martens if the decision could be reconsidered in the future. Martens replied that the decision is open to being revisited but not in the near future.
"I don't think it's going to be revisited in the near term because the conclusion was that there were just far too many risks and we couldn't minimize them to protect public health and safety," said Martens.
Martens also suggested that some health-related studies on fracking are already ongoing. Technology is also improving, which may lead decision-makers to reconsider the fracking ban. The ban, according to Martens, may be revisited in the near term when significant information comes into light.
In December 2014, Howard Zucker, the state's acting health commissioner, issued a lengthy report that recommended against fracking in large scale. The report also cited conflicting studies about the safety of process.
Martens said that the agency will take into consideration Zucker's recommendations when it finalizes the review of fracking. Martens also announced that DEC's report on fracking will be finalized early this year. He and his staff are also reviewing the report on a regular basis.
Fracking is a well stimulation technique that fractures rock with the help of hydraulically pressurized liquid, which is made of chemicals, sand and water. Fracking makes it easy to mine natural gas from underground shale formations.
The process has faced a lot of controversies, and opponents claim that fracking contaminates ground water, triggers earthquakes, contributes to noise pollution and degrades air quality.
