By Andrew S. and Pat C.
This spring as the temperature heats up, the issue of natural gas drilling rises with it. The next move in the chess match between a major energy company and local environmentalists lies in the hands of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC).
Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC, one of the largest natural gas companies in the world, has requested drilling permits for five horizontal test wells and one stratigraphic well in the Town of Hancock.
Three of the wells will be located west of Hancock in Peas Eddy and two will be located in Goulds, just north of Rock Valley and west of French Woods (see map above).
According to Lori Severino, from the office of media relations for the DEC, “A test well is just another name for a proposed well. There is no difference.” This means that if these permits are granted, Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC will be allowed to start drilling wells in the Hancock area.
The permit applications are under review by the DEC, which will announce its decision this summer as to whether or not drilling can proceed.
The DEC will be responsible for drilling permits and the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is the agency that grants water withdrawal permits.
The DRBC said it is required that New York doesn’t process any natural gas applications until a Generic Environmental Impact Statement is completed for each request.
Chesapeake Appalachia has proposed to withdraw one million gallons of water every day from the Delaware River to use in combination with their fracing fluid in order to force the gas from the Marcellus Shale.
In addition, the DEC requires that Chesapeake Appalachia list the ingredients in their fracing fluid in order for the permits to be issued. “Only the information for which trade secret status is not sought and/or not sufficiently justified pursuant to the law, can be made public,” said Severino.
Organizations have formed on both sides of the drilling question.
Chesapeake Appalachia has gone to landowners such as Noel van Swol, head of the Sullivan-Delaware County Property Owners Association (SDCPOA) whose members represent ownership of 70,000 acres of land. The association is negotiating for as much as $2700 per acre, up from “a one time offer” of only $25 dollars an acre a couple of years ago.
The Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS) oppose the drilling. They are concerned that the large sums of money being offered will blind people to what DCS founding member, Barbara Arrindel, calls, “the ravages of gas drilling.” A major problem for the DCS is that gas drilling could contaminate the Delaware River Watershed which supplies drinking water for over 25 million people including the populations of Trenton and New York City.
“This is not just a local issue, it’s a global issue. Once we ruin the watershed, there is no going back. We are willing to do whatever it takes to protect our watershed,” said Pat Carullo of DCS.
One example of gas drilling gone bad was in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, where a gas well exploded and the local wells were contaminated.
However, van Swol has a very different take on the issue of drilling. He said, “the groups claiming that harm will be done to the environment have vested interests and are environmental extremists. This is a reflection of the not in my backyard attitude by people that only have one or two acres of land.”
Van Swol claims that all major companies are willing to discuss what is in the fracing fluid.
Rick Marquardt, Petroleum Engineer for Conservation Services, LLC, takes a neutral approach to drilling. He said, “Gas well drilling, if handled and policed properly, will have a minimal impact on the environment. The Marcellus Shale’s gas is dry-natural gas which is the least risky to the environment.” He stated, however, that if handled improperly, the impact could be severe as witnessed in Susquehanna County when the gas well exploded.
The Family Times made several attempts to contact Chesapeake Appalachia but were unable to get a response.
