Family Life

08.16.11 | Sarah Harnisch

  State lawmakers in New York joined a bevy of conservation and anti-drilling groups Monday to call on the comment period for gas drilling to be tripled. Once the 60-day comment period is over, the Department of Conservation will put out it's final report, a rulebook, for what must be followed for gas companies to be allowed to drill on the Marcellus Shale in New York. On Monday, groups and legislators, like upstate lawmaker Mark Grisanti, pushed for a 180-day comment period instead. They fear the public hearings across the state simply won't be frequent enough for the majority of voices to be heard on drilling. The comment period is supposed to begin later this month; meaning by late October, the DEC will start putting together their report. They say they aren't entirely ruling out extending the comment time. But gas companies say 60 days is more then enough time. They say it's just a tactic to delay drilling permits.