New York State has banned fracking as a health hazard
Fracking will be banned in New York state due to concerns about the health risks the method poses.
This was announced by the administration of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
This decision ends years of debate over the natural gas extraction method.
Fracking, as it is known, has been heavily promoted as a source of economic revitalization for the backward areas along the New York-Pennsylvania border.
Until recently, it looked like Governor Cuomo was about to embrace the idea of fracking in these areas, but instead he decided to ban it.
Despite the deep economic problems plaguing large swathes of the upstate, the fracking mystery remains largely unsolved, the governor says.
“I’ve never heard anyone say to me, ‘I believe, fracking is great,'” Cuomo said. “Not a single person in these communities. What I’m hearing is: We have no choice but to fracking.”
Democrat Cuomo’s decision was immediately welcomed by representatives of liberal groups and environmentalists. Moreover, it helps restore his party’s links with the left wing.
The decision also comes after a surprisingly contested re-election campaign in which Zephyr Teachout, who opposes fracking, won about a third of the vote.
Fracking, also called hydraulic fracturing, is a technology that injects large quantities of water, sand and chemicals deep underground at high pressure to extract oil and natural gas< /strong>.
Fracking creates cracks in the rock layer, using liquid as a source of energy. The formation of cracks itself is done by a probe that penetrates the rock in the place where the deposit is located.
The method is also used for unconventional deposits such as coal beds or shale rocks.
However, many scientists believe that fracking technology is far from safe. It uses gelled fluids that sometimes contain benzene, xylene, toluene and ethylbenzene.
A 2004 report claims that the use of these substances – main components of diesel – is a source of great danger to groundwater. Lead, methanol, boric acid and ethylene glycol are also used in oil and gas production, many of which have carcinogenic properties.
About 50-70 percent of the chemicals used in the mining process are subject to reverse extraction.
The remaining amounts are retained in the shale layers even after the deposit is liquidated. It is believed that, although buried at a depth of 3,000 meters, over the years, as the earth’s layers settle, dangerous chemicals come to the surface and contaminate the land and groundwater.
The issue of fracking has been one of the most controversial public political debates in New York in recent years.
The technology is being implemented in many countries and is experiencing a huge boom in areas of Pennsylvania and Texas. Environmentalists, alarmed by the growing use of fracking, pointed to New York’s decision as the first ban from a state with significant natural gas resources.
Governor Cuomo, who is known for his swift and decisive action on other contentious issues such as gun control, has repeatedly delayed a decision on the use of fracking, citing ongoing — and open-ended at first glance, a study by state health officials.
Six weeks after Governor Cuomo won a second term, long-awaited health study on fracking health effects finally materialized.
The findings were made during a public cabinet meeting called by the district governor in Albany. During the hearing, Health Commissioner Dr. Howard A. Zucker said that “significant public health risks” associated with fracking have been identified.
Showing research results, Dr. Zucker commented on concerns about water and air pollution, and said there was not enough scientific evidence to confirm the safety of this mining technology of oil and natural gas.
