Is Drilling for Natural Gas Good for your Community?
This information was put together by the Concerned Citizens of Otego. You can download it as a tri-fold brochure by right-clicking on “Effects of Natural Gas Drilling.”
Otego before and after horizontal fracking for natural gas?
Click Here to Sign the petition against Drilling for Natural Gas in Otego
How will natural gas drilling affect my health?
Water
Drinking water contaminated by drilling chemicals & radioactive materials from below the earth’s surface.
Air
Increased cases of asthma & other breathing disorders from toxic fumes.
Noise
Noise from compressor stations & drilling exceed Federal safety limits.
Traffic
Increased incidents of accidents & roadway congestion.
Sleep Patterns
Disruption of sleep due to constant noise & lights.
Your Children’s Safety
Records show increased incidents of crime & drug use from outside workers; school bus safety issues; proximity of schools to drilling sites & emissions.
Health Risks
Increased incidents of asthma, endocrine disruption, birth defects & cancer.
How will natural gas drilling affect me economically?
Real Estate Values
People unwilling to buy houses with gas leases or located next to leased land; value of homes decreases<
Jobs
Most of the jobs will be filled by workers from outside the area
Road Damage
Town taxes may be needed to repair damage from excessive weight & frequency of truck traffic.
Taxes
Your taxes may increase to undo damage to infrastructure & contamination clean-up
Effect on Local Economy
Increased prices on rentals & food purchases – prices driven up by gas workers willing to pay higher prices by gas workers willing to pay higher prices.
Economic impacts of natural gas drilling
How will natural gas drilling affect my community?
- Increased traffic
- Strain on local emergency services
- Increased rents & food prices
- Increase in drugs in the area
- Impact on hunting & fishing
- Decreased fish & wildlife due to contaminants & noise
- Decreased demand for area farm products due to possible contaminants
- Explosions, accidents & spills
- Property values collapse
- Compulsory integration – non-leased landowners forced to have drilling beneath their lands
Even if you have not leased, the environmental and social issues will still affect you & you will get no compensation
Click Here to Sign the petition against Drilling for Natural Gas in Otego
Will the government protect me?
The Federal Government has exempted the Oil and Gas Industries from:
- The Clean Water Act
- The Clean Air Act
- The Safe Drinking Water Act
- A host of other reporting & oversight laws
Both Village & Town residents will be negatively affected.
New York State and its Department of Environmental Conservation (the DEC )cannot effectively protect us.
What YOU can do…
- Go to Town Board Meetings.
- Go to rallies and presentations.
- Write letters to the editor.
- Contact local, county & state officials.
- Support candidates that are opposed to gas drilling.
- Join a group in your town.
- Talk to people.
- Display signs.
- Educate yourself.
- Educate others.
Educate yourself by checking out these websites for more information:
CDOG – http://www.un-naturalgas.org/ A good compilation of all facets of gas drilling & its effects.
Dr. Theo Colborn – http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/home.php Proven medical documentation of health effects of gas drilling.
Fort Worth, TX – www.fwcando.org First-hand accounts from people who have watched their community be impacted by gas drilling.
Texas Sharon – http://www.txsharon.blogspot.com Despite death threats, a single mother in Texas has taken on the gas drilling industry.
Sustainable Otsego – www.sustainableotsego.org A local website with current news of regional efforts to protect our county.
NERCRD Rural Development Paper – http://nercrd.psu.edu/publications/rdppapers/rdp43.pdf Implications for Marcellus shale drilling on local governments & rural communities.
Click Here to Sign the petition against Drilling for Natural Gas in Otego
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