Letter to the Editor: Response to Martins’ Bill Banning Fracking Waste Water

’ bill to may be well intentioned, but it is focusing on the tail end of the problem.

Fracking poses a host of hazards to many areas of the  state. The drilling process threatens to contaminate the drinking water of millions, increase air pollution across the state, and exacerbate climate change due methane gas being released, just to name a few problems associated with hydraulic fracturing.

The better solution to this problem is very simple: keep fracking out of New York. Allowing any hydraulic fracturing will introduce a slew of toxic chemicals into our air and water and threaten to contaminate our food, as well.

Even the New York City watershed, which Senator Martins notes has been “protected” by the DEC (Dept of Environmental Conservation), could be contaminated by drilling happening as little as 1,000 feet away. Accidents do happen and there is the potential for well blowouts during the drilling operations, which could be hard to control.

Long Islanders know these hazards will ultimately broaden to affect us as well.

Senator Martins wrote months ago that “.” Five months later, we are still waiting for action. I urge Senator Martins to support legislation to ban fracking in New York.

Chris Wales
Mineola