Industry, enviros praise NY gas-drilling time-out

Bay News 9 Tampa Bay ^ | December 12, 2010 | AP

[neverdem]

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Environmental groups and energy companies both claimed victory after Gov. David Paterson ordered a seven-month moratorium on some natural gas drilling in the state, although environmentalists would have preferred the broader ban that the Legislature had approved.

The outgoing Democratic governor vetoed a bill on Saturday that would have suspended all new natural-gas drilling permits until May 15. Instead, he issued an executive order prohibiting high-volume hydraulic fracturing of horizontally drilled wells, such as those in the Marcellus Shale region of southern New York. The order stands until July 1...

[BuffaloJack]

This is stupid. We need gas now.
Drill Here!
Drill Now!

[Michigan Bowhunter]

when the blind lead............

[DTogo]

Instead of a moratorium, perhaps offering the option of using nothing but water. Pumping diesel/chemicals into the ground is asking for trouble.

[Michigan Bowhunter]

how about diagonal wells and instead of hydraulic force, use a concussive force.......

[neverdem]

Republicans retake control of state Senate (New York)

FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list. Thank God for Paterson's veto.

[PGR88]

Its only that the unions in NY are figuring out how to get their cut. This is something they haven’t planned for.

[DTogo]

Test the Navy’s rail gun!

[dila813]

What an idiot, the companies that were going to make investment in NY aren’t now.

Nothing like an unpredictable idiot in the state house to dry up investment.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Yep. These fracking fluids are complex and proprietary. Nobody but the vendor knows what’s in them. It sure gives me concern to pump millions of gallons of this unknown stuff underground.

[thackney]

I suspect the only energy companies that liked this action were Nat Gas companies with leases in Pennsylvania.

[thackney]

These fracking fluids are complex and proprietary. Nobody but the vendor or anyone with internet access knows what’s in them.

http://www.halliburton.com/public/projects/pubsdata/Hydraulic_Fracturing/index.html

[flowerplough]

Industry, enviros praise NY gas-drilling time-out, rural Pennsylvanians concur. Leasing and driiling carrying some of us thru the BushBama recession. And “concern to pump millions of gallons of this unknown stuff underground”? Like old George Carlin done said, all these chemicals come from the earth. We’re not bringing anything new to the planet. The chems are a mile or three deep, squeezing gas up. For the money coming in, I’ll accept the so-far-insignificant risk. Hell, I drive fast when I feel like it, drink alcoholic beverages, occasionally gorge on fast food, smoke a cigar or two a week; ain’t gonna worry about getting fracked. Or worry about my wife and kids (who text while driving) getting fracked.

[SunkenCiv]

'Saturday Night Live' mocks Governor Paterson's blindness, past drug use by Stephanie Gaskell Sunday, December 14th 2008

Saturday Night Live pushed the envelope last night with... Fred Armisen as Paterson during a segment on "Weekend Update." ...Armisen, as Paterson, says he has three criteria: economic experience, upstate influence and someone with a disability who is completely unprepared for the job - just like him. "I want to choose a senator not from the glitzy coke parties of Manhattan but rather from the shabbier coke circles of upstate new york," he said. "I'm tired of all these fancy, two-eyed smart alecs from the big city running the whole show. It's time we get someone from Utica, Syracuse or Schnectady - towns where people have something a little off about him. I mean, they don't have to be blind," he said. "I just need someone with like a gamey arm or maybe the giant gums with the tiny teeth. Let's get one of those in the Senate." The fake Paterson points out that he only became governor because of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer's prostition scandal. "Whoever is appointed senator must - like me - be caught totally off guard and be comically unprepared to take office," he said. "Come on, I'm a blind man who loves cocaine who was suddenly appointed governor of New York. My life is an actual plot from a Richard Pryor movie."

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ACTUAL HEADLINE:

Paterson In A Blind Rage Over 'SNL' Skit

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Governor Paterson proposes 'Obesity Tax,' a tax on non-diet sodas
by Glenn Blain and Kenneth Lovett
with Edgar Sandoval and Erica Pearson
Daily News Albany Bureau
Sunday, December 14th 2008

Gov. Paterson, as part of a $121 billion budget to be unveiled Tuesday, will propose an "obesity tax" of about 15% on nondiet drinks. This means a Diet Coke might sell for a $1 - even as the same size bottle of its calorie-rich alter ego would go for $1.15. Paterson's budget also calls for a 3% cut in education spending, a $620-a-year tuition hike at SUNY and a $600 increase at CUNY - and about $3.5 billion in health care cuts, a source said. The Democratic governor will not call for a broad-based income tax boost, but he will push to restore the sales tax on clothing and footwear... State employees again will be asked to forgo their 3% raises next year and defer five days' pay until they leave their jobs, the source said. In all, Paterson will propose about $9 billion in cuts, $4 billion in new taxes and fees, and $1.5 billion in nonrecurring revenue, a second source said. The so-called obesity tax would generate an estimated $404 million a year. Milk, juice, diet soda and bottled water would be exempt from the tax... Public health advocates welcomed news of the tax, saying it would help the fight against childhood obesity. "Raising the price of this liquid candy will put children and teens on a path to a healthier diet," said Elie Ward of the American Academy of Pediatrics of New York State.

[and now, the buried lead:] The Paterson administration also announced steps yesterday to expand the state's social services net, including a 30% increase in welfare payments over three years starting January 2010, increased money for food banks and expanded access to the state's Family Health Plus program. Paterson also hopes to make it easier for people to enroll in Medicaid by eliminating face-to-face interviews and fingerprinting requirements.