The New York attorney general on Wednesday submitted a grumble in opposition to the US government for failing to examine the dangers of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," a contentious method used to discharge natural shale gas. The grievance seeks to force a number of federal agencies to fulfill with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by investigating the ecological impact of fracking and making the result available to the public earlier to adopting a suggestion by the Delaware River Basin Commission authorizing natural gas progress in the Delaware River Basin. Pursuant to NEPA, the environmental impact announcement must embrace analysis of the environmental impacts of the projected action, thoughtfulness of alternatives to the action and measures to alleviate adverse environmental impacts.
Before any decisions on drilling are completed, it is our accountability to pursue the facts and appreciate the public health and safety effects posed by possible natural gas development. The federal government has an responsibility to assume the essential studies, and as I made clear last month, this office will force it to do so. The wellbeing of those living near the Delaware River Basin, as well as the millions of New Yorkers who rely on its pure drinking water each day, will not be overlooked.