Nearly a decade ago, New York historically led the nation by banning high-volume hydraulic fracking (fracking) for oil and gas. Now, the gas industry is proposing an experimental and dangerous new method to frack for gas in NY's Marcellus Shale: carbon dioxide (CO2) fracking. Currently, the state’s law banning fracking prohibits the use of high volumes of water to extract oil and gas but is silent on other fracking methods. This push by the industry to circumvent New York’s law not only poses many of the same threats to our water, health, and climate, it introduces new dangers as well.
That's why the New York State Legislature overwhelmingly passed A8866/ S8357, a bill to ban drilling and fracking for methane gas and oil using carbon dioxide (CO2). Now the bill is on Governor Hochul's desk, and we're calling on her to sign it into law.
Will you stand with us? Add your name to the petition below to send a clear message: New Yorkers are calling on Governor Hochul to ban CO2 fracking.
Governor Hochul -
I'm asking you to sign A8866/ S8357, a bill to ban drilling and fracking for methane gas and oil using carbon dioxide (CO2). The bill received overwhelminng support in both houses of the state legislature; the Assembly passed the bill with a bipartisan 98-50 vote on March 12 and the Senate passed it with a bipartisan 45-17 vote on March 20, and we ask that you swiftly sign the legislation to ensure New Yorkers are protected.
Our state’s long-standing fracking ban prohibits the use of high volumes of water to extract gas. The legislature quickly passed this new legislation in response to a gas industry proposal to exploit a loophole and get around our state’s fracking ban by using CO2 instead of water. The bill that the legislature passed is thus very simple as it amends the fracking ban within the Environmental Conservation Law to include a prohibition on using CO2. Drilling and fracking with CO2 is an experimental, dangerous new method of shale gas extraction that must not be allowed in New York State.
Countless scientific studies about drilling and fracking demonstrate that induced fractures are not controllable and could cause the CO2 to migrate, in addition to naturally occurring heavy metals and radioactivity in the shale, which in turn threatens to contaminate our drinking water. Many studies show that drilling and fracking operations and infrastructure are inherently leaky, releasing methane that is disastrous for the climate along with air pollutants that endanger public health, including cancer-causing pollutants such as benzene and formaldehyde. Drilling and fracking for fossil fuels, along with pipelines, gas plants, truck trips, and other infrastructure, are contradictory to our climate law, the CLCPA.
High pressure CO2 is itself very dangerous, and ruptured pipelines can result in asphyxiation and convulsions. This was tragically illustrated in Satartia, Mississippi in 2020 when a CO2 pipeline exploded, leading to mass CO2 poisoning that left 45 people hospitalized. Additionally, high pressure CO2 injection underground poses significant risk of earthquakes, corrosion of well casings, and acidification of groundwater.
Drilling and fracking with CO2 would have the same threats to our water, air, health, and climate as hydraulic fracturing, along with additional dangers. The legislature was right to pass the bill to close the loophole and protect New Yorkers. Now we urge you to sign it into law.