Where I stand on gas drilling

By JOHN BONACIC

Your recent editorial, “Local government comes up trumps,” completely mischaracterizes my position on the gas drilling issue that has become a concern in the river corridor portion of our state senate district.

You falsely assert—without bothering to check with me—that I think natural gas drilling is a “great thing.” That is simply not my position, and I am disappointed by your sloppy reporting.

My view on gas drilling is as follows:

1. We have an energy crisis in our dependency on foreign oil. For all the tough talk by our Congressional representatives and the President, gas is climbing toward $4.50 a gallon.

2. Natural gas, which we have sizable supply of, can be part of the solution if it is done right.

3. Exploring for natural gas intelligently requires the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to undertake a review of the environmental impacts and requires individuals to respect not only their own land, but that of their neighbors.

4. Exploring for natural gas intelligently also requires people to treat their land and that of their neighbors with respect.

If The River Reporter is asserting that local residents in the Upper Delaware are careless with their land, that is not what I find when I visit with people. To the contrary, I find people of the Upper Delaware to be good stewards of their land and respectful of the environment. In the few instances where greed of a handful could place the land of the many in jeopardy, I have, again contrary to your reporting, urged the DEC to carefully review each application and scrutinize the environmental impacts of gas drilling. Anyone who has ever dealt with the DEC knows they are hardly pushovers.

I do not go out and grandstand and rant and rave against drilling, rather I call the leaders of the affected agencies and tell them what the issues are, and that I would like their attention devoted to those issues to protect people.

I know spinning people up and offering nothing but rhetoric sells papers, but responsible leadership requires substantive action, not just a loud voice. However, as an elected official, just as I have done with NYRI, it is my job to react intelligently and with the law on our side, not just with a loud voice.

I have urged and will continue to urge the DEC to review every gas drilling application carefully, require a complete environmental review, and make sure that the gas drilling, if done at all, is done both safely and in compliance with environmental regulations. I also continue to urge people not to sell their gas rights except with the knowledge of what prices they can be paid, and then to negotiate collectively because for those who do make the decision to sell, they certainly should do so only for the best price.

(John Bonacic is the New York State Senator for the 42nd District.)