Here in New York, Governor David Paterson is coming under increasing pressure to reverse plans to allow hydraulic drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale watershed in upstate New York. In recent weeks both the federal Environmental Protection Agency and New York City’s environmental agency have come out against the drilling plan because of potential risks to the city and state’s water supply. On Monday, elected officials gathered at New York City Hall to publicly oppose the drilling plan. Attending the rally were three members of New York’s congressional delegation, including Jerrold Nadler.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler: “The prospect of using natural gas instead of foreign oil is a very enticing prospect and a very important one, but it must not be done at the cost of our water supply and at the cost of the environment for New York, for which it could upset for generations to come.”

Martha Robertson of the Tompkins County Legislature also spoke.

Martha Robertson: “We’re told that natural gas is cleaner than coal, so we must sacrifice — so to save the planet, we must sacrifice our backyards and our water sources for the greater good. But is gas really the cleaner fuel? Not if you count all the emissions from extraction and not if you count all the gas leaks in the system. I will tell you that in the Barnett Shale in Texas, where the same techniques are already in use, emissions of carbon dioxide and methane are projected to be roughly equal every day to the greenhouse gas emissions from two coal-fired power plants. Does this make any sense? Drilling the Marcellus Shale may actually increase New York’s carbon footprint, not reduce it.”