ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state lawmakers on Wednesday lifted the state’s existing ban on hydraulic fracturing by blocking natural gas drilling companies from using an extraction method that injects large amounts of liquid carbon dioxide into the ground. Passed legislation to expand.
The state Senate approved the bill despite opposition from Republicans. It will now be given to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is in the midst of state budget negotiations. The state Legislature passed the bill on March 12th.
Recent Pennsylvania study finds link between fracking and childhood cancer
New York state already bans hydraulic fracturing, which uses water-based solutions to extract natural gas. But after a Texas company tried to lease New York land for drilling last fall, some lawmakers quickly began drafting new legislation. Southern Tier Solutions is trying to take advantage of a loophole in current law by drilling using carbon dioxide instead of water, they said.
A beehive is displayed at the back of the Itasca Valley Farm property in Whitney Point, New York, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. The farm is owned by Joan and Harold Koster, a Texas-based company with Southern Tier Energy.・Received a request from Solutions to rent land for mining. They provide natural gas by injecting carbon dioxide into the ground, which they reject and oppose. (AP Photo/Heather Ainsworth)
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters at a press conference Wednesday that she has not yet discussed the bill with the governor, but she expects it to be signed.
“The concern is that if we don’t close this loophole quickly, we’re essentially opening the proverbial gateway for further exploration, which is also a problem,” said Democratic state Sen. Lee Webb. ” Democratic state Sen. Lee Webb said beforehand. vote. Among the thousands of people the company recruited were many Webb voters in the Southern Tier, an area along the Pennsylvania border.
The area is attracting attention from energy companies because of its abundance of natural gas trapped in large underground rock formations.
Hydraulic fracturing involves moving vast amounts of water, sand, and chemicals underground under pressure strong enough to disrupt layers of rock containing deposits of oil and natural gas so that fossil fuels can be extracted. Pump a thousand feet down. Hydraulic fracturing, which is banned in some states such as Vermont and Maryland, can cause earthquakes and has raised concerns about groundwater contamination.
Republican state Sen. Thomas O’Mara, who voted against the bill, said during floor debate that any move to expand the fracking ban was premature.
“This utopian approach is like a train wreck rolling down the tracks,” he said.
Southern Tier Solutions says on its website that it hopes to use carbon captured from power plants to extract natural gas from within the Marcellus and Utica Shales, vast rock formations that span hundreds of miles. There is.
Company executives and President Bryce P. Phillips did not respond to email or phone requests from The Associated Press. But Phillips has argued in past interviews that replacing water with liquid carbon dioxide could be more environmentally friendly.
Supporters of the bill and some lawmakers cited concerns that pipelines carrying carbon dioxide for extraction could burst, leading to poor air quality and serious health risks.
They pointed to a 2020 accident in the small Mississippi town of Sartatia in which a pipeline carrying compressed carbon dioxide ruptured, sending more than 40 people to the hospital for treatment and evacuation of more than 300 people. .
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Sandra Steingraber, a retired biologist and anti-fracking activist, praised the bill’s passage. She argues that any type of drilling, regardless of the type of material used, has a negative impact on the environment.
“They acted very quickly because they recognized how harmful this was,” she said of the lawmakers’ response. “It’s all risk and no reward for New York state moving forward with this plan.”
