Horseheads debates moratorium on drilling technique, Town first Chemung County municipality to propose the step

Horseheads debates moratorium on drilling technique, Town first Chemung County municipality to propose the step by Jeff Murray, May 31, 2012, Star Gazette
Several communities around the state decided not to wait for a DEC decision and have imposed their own moratoriums or outright bans on fracking. The Town of Horseheads is the first municipality in the Elmira-Corning area to consider acting on its own. Town Supervisor Michael Edwards floated the idea at a recent Town Board meeting. “I wanted to set a moratorium, so we can check to make sure our current rules handle that,” Edwards said. “All I’m doing is checking our rules and regulations on it right now. I’m not even sure the board will go the moratorium route. I want to make sure if it starts that we’ve got rules in there. I believe they are there, but I want to make sure.” Edwards said he wants to be certain current town rules prevent wells from being located too close to roads or homes. He’s also concerned about truck traffic, especially along school bus routes. … The local level is exactly where those decisions should be made, according to Jessica Ernst, long-time Canadian oil and gas industry insider turned whistle blower. Ernst, an Alberta scientist with 30 years of experience in the petroleum industry, gave a presentation at the Heights Theatre in Elmira Heights recently about her own experiences and why she believes New York should steer clear of hydrofracking. “I do not believe it should be the regulators or the industry or the politicians making these decisions. It should be the communities who have to live with this,” Ernst said. “Yes the economy is in trouble, but do you want to jump at promises when you could risk losing these incredible (natural) resources? “I used to think it could be done if properly regulated. Not anymore. I don’t think they can do it safely,” she said. “The ultimate power belongs in the hands of the people who have to endure the impact. Once they get the gas out, the companies are gone. They don’t care. We’re a smart species. We can come up with something better.”