Paterson Signs Legislation Permitting Natural Gas Drilling
By Associated Press | July 23, 2008
ALBANY — Governor Paterson has signed legislation to permit horizontal drilling for oil and natural gas while promising enforcement of environmental safeguards to protect water quality.
Mr. Paterson says the measure revises New York's rules for siting drilling rigs to include additional wells and the new drilling should lead to more efficient recovery of oil and gas while reducing unnecessary disturbance to the land.
The Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner, Pete Grannis, says the natural gas industry has shown interest in drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation in the Southern Tier and Catskills, and the DEC has so far received three applications for gas wells in Chenango, Tioga, and Chemung counties.
