In a letter sent today to Governor Andrew Cuomo, the coalition called Elected Officials To Protect New York, made up of 440 locally elected state officials has requested an in-person meeting with the governor on the topic of hydrofracking. The officials come from 52 counties including many from the state's Southern Tier region where hydrofracking operations are most likely to take place.
The group had previously written to Cuomo in June urging for the continuation of the moratorium until a set of "independent" assessments had been completed.
In today's letter, the coalition writes:
Since - according to the public record - you have met directly with Brad Gill and other representatives of the gas industry, it is time you meet with us.
The letter also says that the coalition believes that "major questions [about fracking] remain unanswered.
The coalition reiterates the terms of the three studies it believes need to be completed before all the science is in.
- A comprehensive health impact assessment of the entire shale gas extraction process
- A revised and properly thorough analysis that considers all potentially negative socioeconomic impacts
- A revised and properly thorough study of cumulative impacts
The group describes itself as "the boots on the ground where the impacts and ramifications would be greatest".
It also questions the validity of requests from another group of pro-fracking town supervisors.
We know that you have been pressured by a small group of town supervisors in the Southern Tier to direct the DEC to move forward with fracking as soon as possible, but we urge that a decision cannot be made without all of the aforementioned studies.
Here is a link to the complete text of their letter on scribd.com.
