Judge Goldberg (above) presided over the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Gas Well Drilling in the Marcellus Shale Public Hearing Thursday evening, December 4. Elected officials, representatives from gas companies and gas industry groups, and members of the public gave their comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The crowd filled the bleachers of Sullivan County Community College’s Fieldhouse basketball court. The vast majority of speakers were opposed to the drilling for a range of concerns, from drinking water to environmental degredation to health concerns. Regarding the lack of oversight, one woman stated that “I give the government an F minus.”
Below are illustrations and excerpts from the comments of each person who spoke.
“Catskill Mountainkeeper… The impacts need to include… pipelines… even if [someone else] has regulatory authority… Waste water treatment and disposal… the sludge that could build up over time.”
