Supporters erupted into a round of applause earlier this week as the Westchester Board of Legislators unanimously approved a bill that bans the sale, application and disposal of chemicals from natural gas drilling in Westchester County.
The bill was approved unanimously during Monday's BOL meeting and will now go to County Executive Robert Astorino's desk for approval.
“This legislation will protect our environment for Westchester residents both today and in the future,” said Catherine Borgia (D), who co-sponsored the legislation. “The toxins involved in hydrofracking waste, including radioactive materials, are among the most harmful known to humankind."
Lawmakers stressed the health concerns many associate with hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, as the reason for the ban. Hydrofracking is a drilling method that uses water infused with chemicals and high pressure to yield natural gas.
Waste from hydrofracking operations is used in other products, including chemicals used to de-ice roadways during storms. Any product used on a county road would require a provision stating that it contains no fracking waste.
The Westchester ban would specifically ban introducing fracking waste into wastewater or sewage treatment facilities.
“As hydrofracking increases around the Northeast, gas companies will look for different ways in which to dispose of all the toxic waste that results from the extracting process,” Legislator Paul Ryan (D) said in a statement. “The legislation passed by the Board today warns natural gas extractors that Westchester will not be a dumping site for this hazardous waste.”
Among those celebrating the vote was Ellen Weininger, educational outreach coordinator for Grassroots Environmental Education.
“We appreciate the close attention the Westchester legislators paid to this new law, and the expediting of its passage," Weininger said in a media release. "The legislators have demonstrated a deep and unwavering commitment to protecting the public health of Westchester residents and safeguarding the environment for future generations.”
If signed into law, a violation would be a misdemeanor charge that could lead to jail time and up to a $25,000 fine.
The ban is not of the fracking process itself, but of disposing of the highly toxic waste product from the process Westchester County. There is evidence that fracking companies are looking to make deals with localities away from the fracking areas, to accept the waste. If you have any further questions, please contact your local legislator.
The Marcellus, for instance, outcrops for probably 150 miles or more across northern New York. So all those “toxins” are present on the surface and have been weathering into our environment for millennia. Here in Westchester you can get radon gas in your home and I had to remediate in a house I built upstate when I sold. It’s hard to get away from. Today I called Halliburton just to confirm what I thought, that the industry no longer uses radioactive tracers in fracking – there are just much better ways of achieving the same objectives. Of course, I don’t hear anyone whining about all that Cesium and whatever down the street in the Northern Westchester Cancer Center.
Re MJ’s comment – yes, I understood that and Billy is right on. No one will want to try to inject frac water into granite – an absolute joke! Re CD, guess Northern Westchester will have to close up shop if your suggestion is followed. It’s pretty hazardous stuff they use. I recall syringes washing up on New Jersey beaches, but the actions of a few bad actors weren’t used to impugn the entire healthcare industry. Benefits and risks…
http://www.guccibeltstb.com/ Gucci Belt http://www.coachoutletonlinetdy.com/ Coach Outlet Store Online http://www.cocoachoutletonline.org/ Coach Outlet Online http://www.coachoutletonlinetsy.net/ Coach Online Outlet