To The Reader’s Forum:

Thanks to the Cuomo Adminstration for banning high volume horizontal fracturing (fracking) in NY. If fracking came to my rural neighborhood, this would happen: To frack a well requires over 1,000 truckloads of water. That water will later return to the surface to be trucked away for treatment or disposal. Hundreds of additonal water loads may follow as part of well maintenance. Then picture a series of wells, each radiating from a single drilling pad. Now imagine the noise, pollution and road damage from all that truck traffic. Modern fracking produces huge quantities of natural gas, and a lot is released into the air after fracking, further damaging air quality.

Suppose a landowner does not want to participate in fracking. According to New York’s compulsory integration law, if enough of his neighbors sign a lease, he will be forced to do so anyway. In which case, fracking means loss of control over one’s own property.

Congressman Reed says landowners should be compensated for losses due to the fracking ban, who would compensate owners for a drop in property values when fracking occurs nearby? If your home is no longer livable, where will you go? The head of Chevron sued to stop a fracking water operation near his home because of its effect on his property value.

Our local representatives need to take a more balanced view, rather than simply stating the process is safe and good for the state. In a letter to me, Congressman Reed stated, “While I support natural gas development, I do also suggest exempting the Finger Lakes watershed from hydraulic fracturing because of the potential effects increased industrial activity could have on the wine and tourism industries.” He also pointed out that he has a cottage on one of the Finger Lakes.

The wine and tourist industries are also important in our area. The two most valuable resources in Chautauqua County are its people and its natural beauty. Both would be harmed by fracking.

Berk Adams

Panama