New Yorkers Await PA Health Study
Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York will wait for a Pennsylvania health study before deciding whether to allow drilling while landowners are preparing to sue New York over lost gas-leasing opportunities and an industry group warned Sunday that a business exodus from the state will worsen. Landowners hoping to lease to gas-drilling companies and earn royalties on gas production are preparing a lawsuit against the state because of the moratorium. The lawsuit will allege that the state has taken property rights in violation of the state and federal constitutions. New York has had a moratorium since 2008 on horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that Cuomo came close to approving a limited drilling plan for as many as 40 shale gas wells before environmentalist and former brother-in-law Robert Kennedy Jr. helped persuade him to await a new study, which could delay a decision for up to a year or longer.
Gov. Cuomo is expected to announce a formal decision after the Department of Environmental Conservation completes its 5-year environmental impact study. Preliminary results are expected within the year, but final conclusions could be years off. The study will look at health histories of hundreds of thousands of patients who live near gas wells and other facilities producing natural gas from the same Marcellus Shale formation that New York would tap.
At PA Oil and Gas Report, we have had no first hand reports from landowners of any health impacts for folks that live close to well sites that were not directly related to negligent behavior by drillers and subcontractors. We have also communicated with landowners in New York, and it is our opinion that most seem to oppose the moratorium and welcome the drilling industry. We look forward to reviewing the referred to health study when it is made publicly available.
