Environmental groups respond to Paterson, DEC

By FRITZ MAYER

RIVER VALLEY — Eight environmental groups, including Catskill Mountainkeeper, sent a letter to Governor David Paterson praising his order that the DEC update the state’s Generic Environmental Impact Survey (GEIS) regarding gas drilling. They also said that his actions did not go far enough.

The groups want the governor to impose a ban on drilling until the updated GEIS is complete. The letter said, “We are concerned… by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) press release indicating that review of pending drilling applications may proceed during the preparation of the new GEIS. We believe that a complete freeze on new drilling permits is necessary, and that even requiring that pending applications be subject to an individual environmental review process is insufficient. Among other serious concerns, we believe there is the potential for inconsistencies between EISs prepared by individual companies and the statewide GEIS, particularly in the critical area of cumulative impacts.”

Wes Gillingham, program director for Catskill Mountainkeeper, said “there is an opportunity for New York to be the first state to deal with this type of development in a safe and comprehensive way. In order to do that, we need a moratorium on new drilling permits, giving the state and those concerned about the environment time to research the cumulative impacts of drilling.”

The other groups who signed the letter are: the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter; Riverkeeper, Inc.; Delaware Riverkeeper Network; Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.; Catskill Center for Conservation and Development; The Wilderness Society; and Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy.