Un moratoire sur le gaz de schiste: si New York peut l'exiger, nous aussi le devons!

Photo: Andy Maykuth

Le Sénat de l'état de New York vient d'approuver un moratoire sur l'octroi de permis pour les puits de forage par fracturation hydraulique à la recherche de gaz naturel. Le vote au sénat est passé tard mardi le 3 août 2010 et a fait preuve de collaboration rare entre les Républicains et les Démocrates: le vote est passé 48 pour, 9 contre. Les Démocrates ont une légère majorité au Sénat, et l'Assemblée de l'État ainsi que le gouverneur sont des Démocrates et devraient autoriser l'implantation du moratoire. Le délai de 9 mois permettra aux législateurs d'étudier la question et s'assurer que les sources d'eau potable ne seront pas contaminées.

On s'inquiète particulièrement du bassin versant qui fournit l'eau potable à 9 millions de personnes (qui pour la majorité du volume et pour le moment, n'a pas besoin de traitement avant d'être pompée dans les aqueducs).

Je pense qu'il est temps pour les élus de la MRC de Rouville de lire l'excellent document d'information sur le sujet de l'exploitation du gaz naturel par fracturation hydraulique dans les schistes monté par les gens de Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu et l'AQLPA intitulé "Québécoises, Québécois! Dormons-nous au gaz....de schiste" dont un lien pour télécharger se trouve sur le blog des Citoyens de Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu en alerte! ici: http://mobilisationgazdeschiste.blogspot.com/ ainsi que le document présenté au CPTAQ le 16 juin 2010. Questerre s'apprête à charmer ma MRC ce mois-ci, et j'ai peur que nos élus soient facilement séduits et désarmés.
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"New York Senate passes gas drilling moratorium

The New York State Senate has approved at least a nine-month delay in issuing permits for a method of natural gas drilling, saying more study is needed to ensure it does not contaminate the state's water supply. The 48 to 9 vote by the senate late on Tuesday was an unusual display of bipartisan cooperation in a divided chamber where Democrats hold a thin majority. The moratorium must still be approved by the state assembly and signed by the governor.

New York state has become the front line in the debate over hydraulic fracturing, a drilling technique that involves blasting enormous quantities of water, sand and chemicals into deep shale rock under high pressure to free trapped gas. But in New York, environmental groups have seized on the BP Plc spill in the Gulf of Mexico and a series of recent accidents in states that already allow drilling to demand more regulation.

"Keeping New Yorkers safe means preserving the sanctity of their access to clean, drinkable water," Senate Majority Conference Leader John L. Sampson said in a statement. "We do not need to look any further than the devastation in the Gulf of Mexico to realize that there is no financial benefit worth risking the safety of New York's water supply."

The moratorium was blasted by an industry group, which said the senate had "caved" to alarmists who have exaggerated the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, cheating the state out of desperately-needed revenue.

New York's Democrat-controlled state assembly is likely to approve the moratorium. State Governor David Paterson, a Democrat, is also expected to support it.

The measure would halt all natural gas drilling activities through next May 15, giving the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation more time to set out guidelines for issuing drilling permits. It also transfers the responsibility for setting out those guidelines from the administration of Paterson, who is not a candidate in the November election, to that of the next governor, who will take office in January.

The moratorium has been a priority for environmentalists, who called the state's draft set of drilling guidelines a rushed job that did not consider the cumulative effects of operating hundreds of wells across the state. The groups have also pushed for an explicit ban of drilling in the New York City watershed, which sits over the Marcellus Shale and provides drinking water to 9 million people. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also called for such a ban."

Excerpts from article written by Edith Honan for Reuters published here: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67358R20100804

I think it's time our elected politicians start reading carefully unbiased documentation on hydro-fracking: pressure from drilling and gas companies is mounting in Quebec. The Utica cannot hide its treasures for much longer.