Congressman Murphy Visits Masonville, Delaware County, Talks About NY Gas Drilling
From the Walton Reporter (no website), January 13, 2010, article abbreviated…
MASONVILLE – U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy (D-Glens Falls) was in Delaware County on Thursday, fulfilling a promise to visit every town in his district during his first year in office.
During a question and answer session, most of the assembled residents wanted to talk about gas drilling. A show of hands showed the crowd of about a dozen residents evenly divided between those who wanted to ban drilling, outright, and those who supported it with strict regulations.
One resident asked Murphy to get the federal Environmental Protection Agency more involved in regulating local drilling and urged him to support the “Frack Act,” which would tighten regulations on the process of hydrofracturing, or “fracking” shale deposits to free the natural gas trapped within.
Murphy said he supports safe, regulated drilling. “I’m not convinced we need to ban it forever,” he said. He said he believes the gas could be extracted safely but, “We’re not there yet.”
“I’m obviously interested in economic development. We’ve also got to have a water supply that’s safe,” he said. “Obviously, New York, being who we are, are not going to be the first guy with the loosest rules.” He said his staff is reviewing the Frack Act, but he has not decided whether he will co-sponsor it. “Obviously, we want to get to the right answer,” he said.