– Statement On The New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation’s Rejection Of An Independent Health Study On Impacts Of Fracking

September 21, 2012

For Immediate Release: Sep 21, 2012

Statement On The New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation’s Rejection Of An Independent Health Study On Impacts Of Fracking

Katherine Nadeau, Water & Natural Resources Program Director

“We are disappointed that Governor Cuomo has rejected requests for an independent assessment on the public health impacts of fracking, ignoring the state’s health professionals, including the New York State Nurses Association and the Medical Society of the State of New York.

It would be reckless for the administration to finalize and release the governor’s plans for fracking before his Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) internal health study is reviewed and vetted by the public. There are too many unanswered questions:

Where did the DEC’s study come from?

Why wouldn’t New York State want a world-class institution to assess the public health impact to its citizens?

Will the study include a baseline assessment of a community’s health before drilling begins?”

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