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Press Release

For Immediate Release:                     Contact:

Monday, August 15, 2011                        Paul Ertelt, (518) 449-3870

                                                            or Neil Woodworth, (518) 439-2864

                      or (518) 669-0128


ADK Calls on Governor, DEC to Extend Comment Period,
Add Hearings on Fracking Guidelines

The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) called on Governor Cuomo and Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens today to hold no less than a 180-day comment period and statewide public hearings on the state’s proposed hydraulic fracturing guidelines.

“Natural gas exploration using high-volume, horizontal hydrofracking could have substantial environmental impacts on New York’s lands and waters,” said ADK Executive Director Neil Woodworth. “All New Yorkers deserve adequate time and opportunity to be heard on this crucial issue. The proposed 60-day comment period does not provide enough time for the people of the state to adequately review and respond to a document that is more than a thousand pages long.”

The DEC’s preliminary revised draft fracking assessment with proposed guidelines was released in July. The complete revised draft is expected to be released for public comment and review in late summer or early fall.

In 2009, DEC held hearings on draft fracking guidelines in Binghamton, Sullivan County, Delaware County and New York City. ADK called on state leaders to again hold hearings in those communities and in other parts of the state likely to be affected by fracking, including the Finger Lakes, the Hudson Valley and western New York.

ADK was one of 77 organizations across the state to sign a letter to the governor and Commissioner Martens calling for a longer comment period and additional public hearings.

The Adirondack Mountain Club, founded in 1922, is the oldest and largest organization dedicated to the protection of the New York State Forest Preserve. ADK is a nonprofit, membership organization that protects the Forest Preserve, state parks and other wild lands and waters through conservation and advocacy, environmental education and responsible recreation. For more information about ADK, visit us at www.adk.org.