'The DEC must act responsibly to protect citizens and the environment'

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is asking for comments on its draft report on hydrofracking. In case you haven’t seen the report, note what it neglects: 1). Human health effects. Yet couldn’t injecting water with toxic chemicals into the ground, pumping some of it back up and putting it in storage ponds, trucking it to be released into waterways, and releasing radioactivity and methane (flammable and a potent greenhouse gas) into the air possibly have a few health effects? 2). Cumulative effects. Fracking involves huge quantities of water. Might using so much water, repeatedly pumping it in and out, repeatedly fracturing the rock beneath the ground, have some cumulative effects? How would fracking affect tourism, agriculture, land values? 3). Protection for drinking water. A buffer zone is proposed around New York City’s drinking water source. What about the rest of New Yorkers? Why protect NYC’s water if this process is safe? 4). Disposal of hazardous wastes. No specific plans are in place, and no municipal sewage systems are capable of filtering out all these toxins. Such an intense industrial process requires close review. The DEC must act responsibly to protect citizens and the environment. Mary Makofske Warwick