ALBANY, N.Y., July 1 (UPI) -- The state of New York aims to revise its rules on operations in shale gas reserves in the state, the state government announced.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released its recommendations surrounding shale gas operations in the state.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is controversial because of the perceived potential of chemicals used in process getting into groundwater supplies.
The department's recommendations would open about 85 percent of the Marcellus Shale play in New York to development but keep operators away from key watersheds and groundwater aquifers.
"This report strikes the right balance between protecting our environment, watersheds, and drinking water and promoting economic development," state Environment Commissioner Joseph Martens said in a statement.
New York in 2009 permitted shale operations in the New York City and Syracuse watersheds. The latest recommendations are seen as a reversal of that ruling.
"We look forward to working with New York's regulators to craft a comprehensive policy on natural gas development that protects the environment and that can open the door to the pent-up economic opportunity that exists in the state," Tom Amontree, executive vice president of America's Natural Gas Alliance, said in a statement.
The New York Times in a series on shale natural gas equated the optimism surrounding the resource to a Ponzi scheme. Industry executives and energy agencies said the Times' series was seriously flawed.
