DSGEIS: Officials, organizations call for time and access

By SANDY LONG

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — In the near future, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is expected to release its Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DSGEIS) for horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale, and Sullivan County officials as well as 19 organizations are calling for public hearings and an extended public comment period.

The Sullivan County Legislature recently sent a letter to DEC commissioner Pete Grannis requesting that public hearings be held throughout the state as well as within Sullivan County, and that the public comment period be extended from 30 to 60 days.

“The DEC has not planned public hearings for the comment period on the draft supplemental GEIS, and in addition to submitting written comments, we feel it is important to have public hearings on this as well,” said Dr. William J. Pammer, Sullivan County Commissioner of Planning and Environmental Management. The county is seeking approval for two public hearings to be held at Sullivan County Community College and Sullivan West High School.

While acknowledging the complexity of the technical and environmental issues, as well as the potential opportunities for “significant economic gains,” the legislature also calls for “responsible development” to ensure public health and safety, protect natural resources and mitigate impacts to municipal infrastructure.

The letter is copied to U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirstin Gillibrand, Governor David Paterson, U.S. Congressman Maurice Hinchey, New York State Senator John Bonacic, New York State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and others.

“If the public hearings are granted, all participants (the public, municipalities, county, non-profit organizations, and other individuals and organizations) are strongly encouraged to submit comments in writing and can paraphrase their letters as public comments,” explained Pammer.

Written comments are considered an important tool for DEC review and incorporation into the final supplement for the design of the new regulations. The final SGEIS will define the regulatory regime under which drilling permits would be issued.

According to Pammer, “Written comments should be based on factual information, local knowledge of the area, and any data that can identify environmentally sensitive areas, well head protection areas, flood plains (50-, 100-, and 200-year flood plains), critical soils for agriculture use and agricultural districts, noise, etc. Any factual or local knowledge of these examples is critical to get on record as that will influence the design of the regulations in minimizing/mitigating impacts.”

The Sullivan County division of planning will also collaborate with Broome, Delaware, Tompkins and Chenango counties to focus on significant regional issues. The planning division and the Multiple-Municipal Task Force on gas drilling will schedule public work sessions on responding to the draft supplement.

In a similar move, Catskill Mountainkeeper and 18 other organizations have signed a letter to Governor David Paterson asking that he “direct the DEC” to schedule at least seven regional public hearings, including one in New York City, with a public comment period of no less than 60 days.

“The DEC is only bound to a 30-day comment period,” said Wes Gillingham of Catskill Mountainkeeper. “That’s kind of ridiculous for one of the biggest issues threatening New York’s natural resources and landscape.”

The letter asserts: “In light of the scope and intensity of this major proposed industrial activity, citizen and organizational stakeholders must have the ability to voice their comments and concerns publicly and without undue hardship at the last critical step before the environmental review process is concluded.”

The letter is signed by representatives of local, regional and national groups like Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, New York Public Interest Research Group, New Yorkers for Sustainable Energy Solutions Statewide, Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

In response to questions about the release date of the DSGEIS, the schedule of public hearings and the length of the public comment period, TRR received the following statement from DEC spokesperson Wendy Rosenbach: “DEC is still in the process of writing the draft. Once it is ready, it will be released, so at this point, [it is] too premature to answer your questions.”