Written by
Jon Campbell, Albany Bureau
ALBANY — A There is “not a timetable” on a newly
added layer to the state’s review of hydraulic fracturing for natural
gas, a top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.
Last
week, the state Department of Environmental Conservation asked the
Department of Health to review its analysis of the health impacts of
hydrofracking and gas drilling, likely delaying a final decision on
whether to allow the technique in New York.
In
a radio interview Monday, Director of State Operations Howard Glaser
said the Health Department’s review is a preemptive move, in part to
help prevent lawsuits. The DEC has been criticized extensively by
environmental groups, who have said two draft versions of permitting
guidelines and regulations for high-volume hydrofracking didn’t do
enough to analyze potential health effects.
The
state received close to 80,000 comments on drafts of its policy
document -- known as the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact
Statement -- and many called for a more extensive look at medical side
effects, Glaser said.
“In
order for the document -- whatever its ultimate decision -- to be
protected against legal challenge, it has to respond to these comments
and you have to show that you’ve done a reasonable job of responding to
the comments,” Glaser said on Albany’s WGDJ-AM.
The state first began studying large-scale hydrofracking in 2008, and a decision on whether to allow it in New York has been pending ever since.
Glaser suggested that the decision would have waited even longer without the Department of Health being
asked to review it.
“If
you have a legal challenge on the health impact and the work has not
adequately responded to, then you have a longer -- you have a bigger
problem, which is you’re subjected to challenge and protracted
litigation,” he said.
Exactly
what the Department of Health is assessing, however, remains unclear.
In a statement last week, DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens said the
state’s health commissioner will tap outside experts to assist him in
the department’s review.
When
asked about the review, DEC spokeswoman Lisa King said Health
Commissioner Nirav Shah will assess “all relevant portions of the final
draft SGEIS and additional related material.”
“The details of the review will be developed in the near future,” she said.
