New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are fast- tracking an end to the state’s fracking ban. Fracking causes egregious, permanent harm to people, wildlife and the environment. Fracking injects millions of gallons of highly pressurized water and an unknown cocktail of toxic chemicals deep underground to break rocks that release natural gas. This causes ground water contamination - as gases, chemicals and even radioactivity flow to the surface – and can cause earthquakes as deep bedrock is pulverized. Shale gas is a fossil fuel, with a greenhouse gas footprint as least as big as coal, with devastating effects on climate change, and delays investment and development of renewable sources of energy with far greater public benefits. Some 4 million gallons of water and 200 tons of chemicals are used to frack a well once, which may be fracked up to 18 times.

The DEC public comment process to end the ban and regulate fracking has been a deeply flawed sham – asking for public opinion when the decision has already been made to start fracking. The revised draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (rdSGEIS) is little more than greenwash, as it would allow fracking in 85% of New York's Marcellus Shale, injecting hundreds of billions of gallons of toxic fluid into the ground that will never be recovered, and will find their way into water. Most importantly, it completely fails to provide long-term protections for drinking water sources. It does not analyze health impacts, doesn’t ban the use of known carcinogens, provides no specific plans for disposal of hazardous fracking wastes, and may impede local governments from banning the deadly practice. Fracking would be allowed upstate at a density of 1 every 20 blocks, and only 100 feet from homes. Pro-frackers have spent million on lobbyists, given Governor Cuomo over $100,000 in contributions, and spent huge amounts on slick advertising. Yet in statewide public meeting, opponents have outnumbered proponents by at least by 4 to 1.

Fracking needs to be banned in New York – criminalizing fracking and all fracking related activity. This can be done, as people power recently triumphed as the Delaware River Basin Commission canceled their vote on regulations. This Ecological Internet email protest alert is in affinity with New York fracking protestors, and continues our work with many for a global fracking ban. The anti-fracking movement is taking off worldwide - resisting industry, government and big NGO greenwash. In New York, many of the corporate "green" groups, such as the national Sierra Club and NRDC, are for "safe fracking”, for which there is no evidence it is possible. Hopefully, there exist bands of hard core activists willing to carry out ongoing non-violent direct action to impede fracking should it be necessary.

NOTE: This is an online protest directed at Governor Cuomo and the state DEC. You may receive a response saying that our PROTEST emails have not been accepted into their official comments - which can't be done via email. If you wish to submit an official comment prior to the January 11, 2012 deadline, please go to: http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/76838.html to submit official comments.

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