A8866

Assembly Bill 8866, sponsored by Assemblymember Kelles and amending the Environmental Conservation Law, was laid aside on the Senate floor at the request of Sen. Lanza. The bill did not receive a vote.

The New York State Senate passed A8866, legislation banning supercritical CO2 hydraulic fracturing, on a 45-17 vote Wednesday. The bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Kelles and championed by Sen. Webb, closes what supporters say is a loophole in the state's existing hydrofracking ban by explicitly prohibiting the use of pressurized carbon dioxide to extract natural gas from shale formations. Proponents cited environmental and public health hazards documented in Pennsylvania, where conventional hydrofracking has been linked to polluted aquifers, respiratory disease, and low birth weights. Sen. Harckham noted that methane extracted via the process is 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2. Opponents, primarily from the Southern Tier region bordering Pennsylvania, argued the bill bans a fundamentally different process without scientific review by the Department of Environmental Conservation. They contended that Pennsylvania residents have benefited economically from natural gas extraction while New York residents are denied similar opportunities. Sen. Borrello criticized the state for rejecting the process while allowing industrial wind turbines that he said cause documented quality-of-life problems. The bill is expected to be signed by the Governor.