If hydraulic fracturing for natural gas must be done in New York State, as it appears it will be, it is beyond crucial that the city’s water supply be fully protected from all dangers associated with the practice.
So we’re glad to see the Democratic-dominated state Assembly has passed a responsible bill categorizing the wastewater created by the process commonly known as fracking as the toxic waste it is. The Republican-led Senate must now do the same.
There’s no denying that fracking would create tens of thousands of jobs and provide an energy source at lower cost, something the economy desperately needs. But this is a process that sometimes poisons drinking water and even creates minor earthquakes. Neither of these things can happen anywhere near the watershed and tunnels that supply the city’s drinking water, and the Assembly bill is one step toward ensuring they won’t.
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