Smart Moves on Drilling in New York Su Smart Moves on Drilling in New York

Smart Moves on Drilling in New York

Quarter 4

Article 3

NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/nyregion/17towns.html?ref=science

Local

Summary:

While neighboring Pennsylvania and other states have rushed into the Northeast’s version of an energy boom — making some people richer and some environments poorer — and while concern has steadily risen about the evolving industrial practices used to extract gas from shale, New York and Gov. David A. Paterson have held back. New York has written fairly tough regulations that are still being made to protect sensitive areas, particularly the upstate watershed that provides drinking water to nine million people in New York City and its suburbs and exurbs to the north. State legislators are considering two new bills. One bill would delay new drilling for a year from now. One would extend the current moratorium until 120 days after the release of a federal study of the industry’s impact on water quality. Tens of thousands of gas wells,each using millions of gallons of chemically treated water, and the economic landscape for much of upstate is at stake. There are 13,000 active wells in the state. The proposed bill to postpone drilling for a year is a compromise. Those gulf images embedded into people’s minds, now more than ever, getting things right might take precedence over getting things fast.

My opinion: I do not think that New York should start drilling for oil. Although, it will provide jobs and make a lot of money, it is not worth the environmental impact that it could cause.

Vocabulary:

moratorium -A period of time in which there is a suspension of a specificactivity until future events warrant a removal of the suspension orissues regarding the activity have been resolved.