Brian McMahon, executive director of the NY State Economic Development Council, in the Ithaca Journal: “Drilling can be safe; let N.Y. start to reap benefits”

  • Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and many other states and their local governments are collecting billions in new tax revenues from shale gas extraction and investing in education, roads, bridges and economic development.
  • It is time for New York to move forward and approve drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens have put in place a thoughtful and deliberative process to authorize safe shale gas extraction in many parts of the Southern Tier and central New York, which have seen population losses and economic decline for the past four decades.
  • The science, technology, engineering know-how and regulatory framework exist in New York to allow development of the shale gas industry without hurting the environment or our quality of life. After nearly four years of development, the DEC released a draft Environmental Impact Statement setting forth a plan to ensure natural gas development in New York proceeds safely with detailed rules designed to promote transparency, protect our air and water, and ensure the well-being of our communities.
  • It is time to reverse the direction of the trucks leaving for Pennsylvania every morning and to support good jobs now right here in New York. It is time to approve Marcellus Shale gas development.

Dean Norton, president of the NY Farm Bureau, in the Albany Times Union: NY farmers “believe the economic growth that natural gas development could bring…is too important to lose out on”

  • New York has a unique opportunity to take advantage of the abundant source of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale. If done properly, we have the ability to stimulate the kind of economic recovery that is so badly needed by farm families and others throughout our state. As a farmer and as president of the New York Farm Bureau, I have advocated for the safe and responsible exploration of this rich energy source below ground to help maintain our livelihood above.
  • For farms, development of the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale formations means the ability to again invest in farm infrastructure. Farmers can build new barns, add cows to allow the next generation of people to stay on the farm or purchase a new tractor. These investments will ripple through the local economy and grow community businesses — from the general contractor, to the farm machinery or seed dealer or the local hardware store.
  • New York farmers take our role as stewards of our state’s precious land seriously, but we also believe the economic growth that natural gas development could bring to our rural communities is too important to lose out on. Farmers are the largest land owners in most of New York’s rural communities and our families are affected by almost every decision the state will make about natural gas development.
  • New Yorkers need energy to live and work. Those opposed to drilling are seemingly so caught up in opposing new energy alternatives that they lose the sight of the ultimate goal — domestic production of a clean, abundant fuel source. We cannot let fear of the unknown paralyze us and prevent us from having a prosperous future. This country was built on exploration and opportunity. If we had given in to fear, we would not have put a man on the moon.

NOTE: Click HERE to view the MSC’s new video, “Building a Stronger, More Secure America.”