New York Governor's Fracking Loophole Could Kill Small Farmers

After a massive campaign including more than 1,000 letters sent via Frack Action's petition on Change.org, New Yorkers have almost banished "fracking," a dangerous drilling method that can pollute the water supply. Almost.

The New York State legislature recently passed a temporary moratorium on the practice, which could contaminate the water supply of some 12 million of the state's 19 million residents with carcinogens like benzene. This would have made New York the first state to limit fracking, though the moratorium would only last through May. When the bill showed up on Governor David Paterson's desk last week, though, he vetoed it, and instead signed his own executive order.

The good news is that the executive order extends the moratorium through July, providing more time for environmental impact studies to be conducted. The bad news is that Paterson's executive order includes a loophole that allows another dangerous form of drilling called "vertical fracturing." This loophole leaves the state's organic and sustainable-minded farmers especially vulnerable.

In an open letter to New York State leaders from the Park Slope Food Coop, General Manager Joe Holtz explained that if hydrofracking is allowed, the Coop will have to stop buying from farms anywhere near the drilling because of fears of contamination. What kind of impact would this make? Consider the fact that the Coop purchases $500,000 in chickens; $400,000 in beef, lamb, and pork; and $1,500,000 in fruits and vegetables — all from New York State farms. And then there's the milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, cider...

Hydrofracking could evaporate up to $3 million from New York State's agricultural economy — just from one retail source! If other food sellers follow the Park Slope Food Coop's lead — and you can bet that they will — Paterson's loophole could destroy New York's local food scene.

We asked Ken Jaffe of Slope Farms, which supplies beef and other food to the Park Slope Food Coop, how hydrofracking could affect his farm. He says his cattle drink 3,000 gallons of water a day from the farm's well. He deems the Coop's policy for food procurement "quite sensible," and mentioned that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an emergency statement last week that gas drilling activity in Texas had polluted an aquifer and contaminated nearby drinking water wells with benzene.

"Who will eat beef, or drink milk from cattle that are drinking water contaminated with carcinogens like benzene?" Jaffe said. "Will they buy beef or milk from areas that are known to be at risk of such contamination? The Coop’s letter expresses a judicious policy given the known risks. Unfortunately for our farm, it would likely mean the end of our business. Every dime of our expenses and all of our sales are local and within New York State.  In addition to the health and environmental risks of fracking, the negative effect on the existing economic base upstate is becoming painfully clear."

Clearly any kind of hydraulic fracturing is too dangerous to our water supply, our food supply, and our economic health. Advocates for clean food and water are now urging Governor Paterson to close the vertical fracturing loophole. Please join them by signing Frack Action's petition. With enough support, we can watch what happens nationwide when New York State becomes the first state to ban hydrofracking.

Photo credit: julieabrown1 via Flickr