A Simple Action for Safe Water

Many people are becoming are worried about the possibility of gas companies using hydraulic fracture drilling in New York State and compromising our supply of safe, clean drinking water. The State Senate has already approved a one year moratorium on drilling--time for everyone to study and assess the situation further.

Now it’s the Assembly’s turn to act. The Assembly will be back in the state capital soon. Before lawmakers return to Albany, let’s fill their inboxes. Click here to ask Speaker Silver and your Assembly Member to protect New York’s water when he or she returns
to Albany
.

New York needs these important protections, because each time a new well is drilled, 2.5 to eight million gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals is required. With thousands of wells proposed that could be fracked multiple times, that adds up to billions of gallons of water will be used every year! Withdrawing this volume of water from local waterways and aquifers could be devastating.

Right now, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation has limited authority to regulate water withdrawals like these, leaving a gaping hole in the state's water protections. And recent deep cuts in staffing at the agency threaten its already reduced enforcement capacity. That’s why it’s so important that the Assembly not only pass a timeout on fracking, but also act to responsibly manage our water resources.

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