13 UDC-member towns agree to comment letter

Two new letters to address emergency services

By SANDY LONG

NARROWSBURG, NY — Representatives of the 13 local New York and Pennsylvania governments who are members of the Upper Delaware Council (UDC) unanimously approved a comment letter on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program at their general meeting on November 5.

The UDC is the oversight body responsible for the coordinated implementation of the 1986 River Management Plan (RMP) for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (UDSRR).

The letter cites the signing on March 20, 2008 by New York State Governor David A. Paterson of Executive Order No. 9: Review, Continuation and Expiration of Prior Executive Orders, which orders that “All state agencies shall act consistently with the River Management Plan to the extent permitted by applicable law.”

The UDC letter notes: “The RMP does have specific references to the words ‘oil,’ ‘gas,’ and ‘pipeline,’” but we do not believe that it ever envisioned horizontal drilling or hydraulic fracturing.”

The RMP additionally lists “Heavy Industrial Uses” as being incompatible anywhere in the river corridor.

The letter continues, “The UDC is very concerned over how the cumulative effect of natural gas exploration and associated facilities might affect the river corridor and the entire watershed. Much of the river corridor is comprised of forested steep slopes and low-land areas which are susceptible to flooding. Clearing for well pads, access roads and pipelines, and other facilities could have an impact on the character of the area and pose significant threats to the natural resources, particularly water quality, for which the UDSRR corridor was designated as a unit of the National Park System.”

Further scrutiny is urged on 28 issues such as protection of ground and surface water quality and quantity, increased flooding, air quality, noise and light pollution, compressor stations, fracking fluid storage and disposal, pipeline construction and more.

It also calls for “an adequate increase in the number of state inspectors to monitor and enforce the relevant regulations,” and requests that the UDC be notified of any applications for natural gas drilling-related activities that could impact the UDSRR corridor.

It further recommends a “robust and accessible mechanism for public notification and that local officials be notified of any permits applied for within their towns.

During the public comment session, Damascus Township, PA resident Bernard Handler raised additional concerns about issues related to emergency services and hazardous materials handling, prompting the council to decide to develop an additional letter of comment devoted to this subject to be submitted to the DEC. Town of Tusten alternate representative, Susan Sullivan, added that costs for such training and specialized equipment should not be born by local municipalities, or the county or state.

Hester Green, of Damascus, inquired as to whether chemicals used in the drilling process will be transported here by rail and whether communities are notified.

“Communities are not always notified,” said UDC chairman George Fluhr. “The trains are supposed to carry a manifest in the cab. Plans are in place, but they don’t always work, as we found out during the train wreck in Shohola Township in 2003. There was information missing from the manifest and it wasn’t available for at least an hour. It turned out that there were hazardous materials on the train.”

As a result of the discussion, a UDC committee was asked to begin drafting a letter to address this matter with the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway company.

UDC monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at 211 Bridge Street in Narrowsburg. The public is welcome. For more information visit www.upperdelawarecouncil.org or call 845/252-3022.