GLOBAL CLIMATE DEBATE

New York Split Over Marcellus Shale Drilling

A new report on drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale continues to pit industry against environmentalists in New York state. 

Drilling in the Southern Tier region has been on hold since last summer, but the report from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation lays out a drilling plan for the Marcellus, the biggest natural gas reserve in the nation. It shows how drilling would change the economic and environmental landscape of the Southern Tier. 

Environmental opposition is reportedly growing stronger by the day, with coalitions developing to attack the plans. Worry is for the Southern Tier countryside, which opponents says includes pristine acreage in the Catskills that supplies New York City's drinking water. 

The natural gas industry says the new plan would bring new jobs and energy independence to New York state.

Source: Greater Binghamton Press Connects