Revised Draft SGEIS on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program (September 2011)

Well Permit Issuance for Horizontal Drilling and High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale and Other Low-Permeability Gas Reservoirs

DEC received more than 13,000 public comments on the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) issued in September 2009. The Draft SGEIS addresses permit conditions required for gas drilling in Marcellus Shale and other areas of the State.

In response to issues raised, DEC has prepared a Revised Draft SGEIS. As of September 7, the document is available for public review. To help those interested in understanding the issues involving horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing, several fact sheets are also available.

2011 Document Availability

The individual chapters of the Revised Draft SGEIS (September 2011) can be viewed as PDFs (see below). The full 2011 Revised Draft SGEIS document (PDF) (46 Mb) is available as a single PDF file. Although it is a very large file, it is downloadable and searchable.

Please note: Some of these are very large documents. Only print them if you really need to, and only those sections that you need. Double side all printing and copying jobs. For every ton of office paper use avoided, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by more than 8 metric tons.

2011 Revised Draft SGEIS Chapters

Table of contents (PDF) (2.7 Mb)

Executive Summary (PDF) (805 kb)

1. Introduction (PDF) (575 kb)
2. Description of Proposed Action
   • Description of Proposed Action Part A (PDF) (4.0 Mb)
   • Description of Proposed Action Part B (PDF) (2.9 Mb)
   • Description of Proposed Action Part C (PDF) (5.9 Mb)
3. Proposed SEQRA Review Process (PDF) (996 kb)
4. Geology (PDF) (4.2 Mb)
5. Natural Gas Development Activities and High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (PDF) (5.2 Mb)
6. Potential Environmental Impacts
   • Potential Environmental Impacts Part A (PDF) (6.0 Mb)
   • Potential Environmental Impacts Part B (PDF) (4.8 Mb)
7. Mitigation Measures (PDF) (2.8 Mb)
8. Permit Process and Regulatory Coordination (PDF) (1.4 Mb)
9. Alternative Actions (PDF) (990 kb)
10. Review of Selected Non-Routine Incidents in Pennsylvania (PDF) (498 kb)
11. Summary of Potential Impacts and Mitigation Measures (PDF) (711 kb)

Glossary and Bibliographies (PDF) (1.7 Mb)

Appendices 1 through 14 (PDF) (3.0 Mb)

Appendix 15 (PDF) (6.8 Mb)

Appendices 16 though 27 (PDF) (4.5 Mb)

Socio-economic Impact Analysis Report, Ecology and Environment, P.C. (E & E)

Ecology and Environment Engineering, P.C. prepared the Socio-economic Impact Analysis as a technical consulting report in support of the revised draft SGEIS. The Socio-economic Impact Analysis (PDF) (4.0 Mb) is available for download as a single PDF file

Public Comment Period

Written comments will be accepted through the close of business December 12, 2011 by two methods only:

• Electronic submission using a web-based comment form available on DEC’s website (preferred method); or
• Paper submission mailed or delivered to: Attn: dSGEIS Comments, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway,Albany, NY 12233-6510. Please include the name, address, and affiliation (if any) of the commenter. Paper submissions also will be accepted at the public hearings listed below.

Due to the expected volume, comments that are faxed, telephoned, or emailed to the DEC will not be accepted for the official record. This is to ensure that all comments are captured properly and can be included during the review process. Please use DEC’s web-based comment form to provide your input.

Public Hearings

DEC plans to hold four public hearings during the comment period for the SGEIS and regulations in November. The meetings will be held in counties in the Marcellus Shale area, as well as New York City. Dates and locations will be announced shortly.

Supplemental Documents

• Economic Impacts Fact Sheet (PDF) (46 kb)
• Community Impacts Fact Sheet (PDF) (42 kb)
• 2011 Recommendations for Permitting High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing in NYS (PDF) (54 kb)
• High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing SGEIS Time Line Fact Sheet (PDF) (38 kb)
• What We Learned From Pennsylvania Fact Sheet (PDF) (41 kb)
• Document Repository for Paper Copies (PDF) (770 kb)
• PowerPoint Presentation from July 1 Press Conference (PDF) (1.4 mb)
• DEC Commissioner Appoints Members to Hydraulic Fracturing Advisory Panel (Press Release July 1, 2011)
• Map of Prohibited Drilling Areas
• Map of Primary Aquifers and Marcellus Shale Extent

Press Conference Webcast

DEC Commissioner Joe Martens held a press conference on July 1, 2011 to explain the preliminary revised draft SGEIS. A webcast is available for viewing. (Leaving DEC’s website)

Assistance

For further information or assistance with these documents, please contact the DEC’s Bureau of Public Outreach by email at public@gw.dec.state.ny.us or by calling 518-402-8044.

More about Revised Draft SGEIS on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program (September 2011):

• High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Comment System – Public Comments on High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing in New York State
• View Print Copies of the 2011 DSGEIS – Where to view print copies of the DSGEIS 2011 in New York State.
• Economic Impacts – highlights of economic impacts
• Community Impacts – description of identified community impacts such as traffic, noise, etc.
• Map of Prohibited Drilling Areas – areas where high-volume hydraulic fracturing surface drilling would be prohibited
• 2011 Recommendations for Permitting High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing – recommendations on mitigating the environmental impacts of high-volume hydraulic fracturing in New York State
• High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing SGEIS Time Line – fact sheet on review process and important dates
• What We Learned From Pennsylvania – fact sheet on lessons learned from a recent spill in Pennsylvania and steps to take to avoid a similar situation