Family Life

11.17.11 | Sarah Harnisch

850 people packed the first DEC public hearing in the state yesterday in tiny Dansville, New York. They were there to give their input before the state puts the stamp of approval on hydrofracking. There was rallying outside on both sides of the aisle-- with singing and speeches. One man who owned a bed and breakfast said "if the tourism industry fails because of some catastrophic spill or bad headlines... then what do I do?"

A drilling supporter said it all comes down to one thing, jobs. He said by 2020, there will be 16-billion dollars just in revenue for New York.  The state has refused to issue permits for drilling the lucrative Marcellus Shale since 2008, when it began reviewing the chemical process of hydrofracking to see if it's safe.

The D.E.C. rulebook which is what people are commenting on now through December 12th is 1,537 pages long.  More then 140 people signed up to speak in 3-minute time slots yesterday... and we're going to do the whole thing all over again today-- in Binghamton.  The DEC says anyone who wants to comment can do so, and their opinions will be weighed as if you'd walked into a hearing and spoken before a crowd.

If you want to comment, go here.