New York towns share drilling information

Three towns eye moratoriums

By FRITZ MAYER

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Pat Carullo stood in front of the handful of residents gathered and said, “On Halliburton’s website, they’ve announced that wells can be hydraulically fractured for up to 50 years.”

By now, it is common knowledge that gas-drilling companies are seeking to drill possibly thousands of wells in Sullivan and Delaware counties, and in Wayne and Pike counties in Pennsylvania. But the thought that the process might last half a century added a new dimension to the prospect.

Carullo, who is a founding member of the Pennsylvania group Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, was speaking at a meeting of the Tusten town board on June 9. He told the board that the Highland town board was moving toward a moratorium.

Supervisor Ben Johnson said the board was aware of Highland’s activity in this regard, and was following developments there. Regarding a moratorium in Tusten, Johnson said that a town can’t have a moratorium without having a plan to address drilling. Johnson noted that towns in other states, such as Texas, have significant zoning regulations regarding gas-drilling, and some have moved to bonding gas drilling companies to cover the cost of road and bridge maintanence and repair needed because of the many trucks involved in drilling operations.

The Highland town board was scheduled to consider whether or not to move forward with a six-month moratorium on gas drilling on the evening of June 10. Highland supervisor Tina Palecek said the board wants to ensure that the health and well-being of the town and its future is protected.

The town of Bethel is also closely watching the developments in Highland. Bethel’s supervisor, Daniel Sturm, said the town attorney had told the board it was unclear that a moratorium would be binding because, in New York State, regulations regarding drilling are set by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Sill, Sturm said that the board had exchanged information on the matter with Highland officials, while trying to keep town residents informed about the latest drilling developments.

In Pennsylvania, the courts have ruled that townships have very little power to regulate drilling because just about all aspects of drilling are covered by that state’s Oil and Gas Law. In 2006, two townships in Western Pennsylvania attempted to keep drilling out of residential areas with zoning regulations. A lower court ruled that the townships did not have the authority to impose those regulations.

However, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the state’s highest court, said it would hear appeals in those cases.