PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -- Hydrofracking is a potentially dangerous and poorly regulated method used by the natural gas industry that should not be welcome by New Yorkers, State Sen. Greg Ball told constituents Thursday evening at a forum held at the Peekskill Coffee House.
"If left to their own devices, this industry is not going to hold itself accountable in any way," Ball (R, C, Patterson) told a room full of area residents.
Hydrofracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a process of fracturing underground rock in order to release large deposits of natural gas trapped deep within marcellus shale deposits.
The controversial method of natural gas extraction is still under review by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, but has already been allowed in neighboring Pennsylvania. Ball visited that state last year to learn about the practice and said he did not like what he saw.
Residents have seen their drinking water contaminated, livestock births affected and some saw the values of their homes drop by as much as 90 percent due to the process, he said. Also, many natural water bodies such as streams and lakes have also been contaminated and choked with sediment due to the drilling, he said.
In New York it is areas north and west of the Hudson River that would be directly affected by hydrofracking but there is still potential for the river itself to be contaminated, Ball said.
The practice is not regulated at the federal level due to legislation passed during the George W. Bush administration but it is instead left to individual states to decide whether to allow it. Former Vice President Dick Cheney's former company Haliburton is a major supporter of the practice, Ball said.
Ball is calling for extending the state's hydrofracking moratorium and has proposed a Property Owners Bill of Rights bill he hopes will get enough bipartisan support in Albany to pass.
The bill would require, among other things, a mandatory disclosure of chemical and compounds used in the process, mandatory water and soil testing and reimbursement to property owners who have their properties contaminated.
The Republican state senator said many in his party supported the natural gas industry and that put him in a tough position in getting support for the cause.
"This does me no good with my base or my leadership," Ball said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has come out against hydrofracking and Ball said he hoped to get support from across the aisle. He also urged constituents to contact state senate majority leader Republican Dean Skelos and other state lawmakers to let them know they do not support the practice.
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