Tuesday
December 29, 2009

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Coalition urges continued commitment to Marcellus Shale gas exploration
ALBANY – A coalition of business and economic development groups Tuesday urged Governor David Paterson to stick to the draft state energy plan, which includes support for natural gas exploration.

The group, which is comprised of the Independent Oil and Gas Association, The Business Council, Independent Power Producers of New York , the National Federation of Independent Business and Unshackle New York, said expanded natural gas exploration in the Marcellus Shale, would not pose environmental impacts like those opposition groups contend.

Chief among them, the coalition says there is no evidence that fracking to recover the gas, would pollute water supplies, said Brad Gill, executive director of the gas and oil association.

“We believe that New York cannot afford to turn away or postpone the tremendous opportunity for economic resurgence and a clean energy supply presented by the Marcellus shale” the group wrote it its letter. “The extremely stringent requirements proposed by the SGEIS (state’s environmental review document) provide the public with the necessary oversight that natural gas exploration and extraction will be conducted in an environmentally safe manner.”

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