The Catskill Chronicle

…the risks far outweigh any potential benefit.

Editor:

A front page story in a local newspaper last week asks the question “(c)an safe fracking jump start Sullivan County’s economy?” and, in effect, seems to answer with a resounding, “yes.”

Unfortunately, the article is rife with errors and misinformation, beginning with the comment that sets the very tone for the discussion that follows: that the United States is dependent upon the oil we get from people “who hate us and would like to destroy our way of life.” This statement is nothing more than fear mongering at its worst. The last time I looked, the U.S. produces most of its own oil, in fact, enough to be consistently ranked number two or three in the world behind Saudi Arabia and, more recently, Russia. Moreover, the majority of the oil we import comes from Canada and Mexico , and an increasing percentage from Brazil . In fact, at least as recently as 2009, we import nearly as much oil from Canada and Mexico as from all other countries combined. So the premise that we are dependent upon those who hate us (presumably the Arab world and Venezuela ) is inaccurate on the face of it.

And if our dependence on oil puts us at such great risk, why is there so little support for alternative forms of energy? For example, approximately 70% of all the oil consumed is used in transportation and 97% of all the energy used in transportation comes from oil, yet until very recently there has been relatively little effort to develop alternative fuels for transportation. And while it is admittedly viable, natural gas is certainly not the best alternative fuel for transportation.

More disturbing, however, is the contention in the article that there is an economic panacea for the region in the form of natural gas drilling. Study after study has proven that this is completely untrue. In fact, most regions in which natural gas drilling has occurred of late have found the economic benefit an elusive chimera that never actually materializes. Some studies have indicated that as much as 80% of the economic spin-offs of natural gas drilling accrue to entities that are out of the region in which the drilling takes place. And given that New York State is one of only two states (Pennsylvania being the other) without a so-called severance tax, which taxes the gas as it leaves the well, there is even less economic benefit to realize here than in most other places.

While it is true that those involved with the drilling process will likely spend money in motels, gas stations, and restaurants, providing a well-deserved and much needed boon for those businesses and some sales and occupancy tax for the local government, those are basically the extent of the economic benefits. There are generally few if any local jobs generated by drilling. Drill rigs, support equipment, and supplies are typically purchased out of the state and trucked in, so there is minimal sales tax generated by the industry for the region. Property tax revenue, if impacted at all, will likely be diminished, since the value of land adjacent to drill sites will inarguably be mitigated. Most importantly, potential clean up costs, repairs to damaged roads and infrastructure, and the risk of devastation to the environment— not to mention the agriculture and tourism industries that have traditionally been our economic backbone– will likely dwarf any economic benefits realized from the drilling.

Curiously, while Sullivan County officials have been consistently adamant, and rightfully so, about negotiating substantial “impact fees” from Native American tribes looking to locate gaming establishments here, there has been no talk about the need for any such protection from the gas drilling industry.

For more than a century now, Sullivan County’s principal industry has been tourism. And while it has had its ups and downs, it has propelled the county to world prominence. The unique environment with which we have been blessed, the majesty of our landscape, the vitality of our rivers and lakes and streams, the purity of our clean, crisp air, has been the linchpin of our economy and should never be put at risk. These are attributes we should be working to enhance, not jeopardize.

The bottom line is that natural gas drilling with the present technology is, at the very best, a double edged sword, and the risks far outweigh any potential benefit. Sullivan County can do better. Much better.

John Conway

Barryville, NY