Following the release of an updated study on the greenhouse gas effect of methane release from high-volume hydrofracturing from researchers at Cornell University , Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WF-125) sent a letter to a number of state officials outlining the study’s significance. DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens, Governor Cuomo and Lois New, Acting Director of the NYS Climate Change Office, all received the letter.

The earlier study, by Robert Howarth, Renee Santoro, and Anthony Ingraffea, found that the greenhouse gas effect of HVHF is on par with, or worse than, the carbon dioxide released from coal burning.  That study had been ferociously attacked by critics, who said their data and time frame were not correct.  

Lifton said that the updated study fully answers the earlier critiques and re-confirmed their findings about the greenhouse gas impact of fracking.  Their research had been corroborated by an EPA study and is now further corroborated by new research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

She stated that, given the research, “it is highly likely that natural gas production in New York will be in conflict with established state policy to curb climate change” and also stated “New York should lead the revolution for renewable energy.”

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