Reconsider fracking

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Since March 13, 2014, the 54-unit Riverdale cooperative where I live and serve as board treasurer has been burning natural gas to keep our building in compliance with the city’s Local Law 43 mandating that buildings transition to burning cleaner fuels. It took a lot of planning and money — the three-year assessment on our shareholders to pay for the project will finally expire in November of this year. 

Nevertheless, the project has made the air in our neighborhood and city cleaner, reduced our building’s carbon foot-print, reduced our country’s dependence on foreign oil exporters with a horrible human rights track records and transformed our building’s finances for the better. The Riverdale Press often runs letters and editorials condemning fracking and in late 2014, New York State placed a moratorium on fracking. Both seem misguided. We need a more complete conversation about fracking that includes its many benefits and objective, scientifically based policies that reflect those facts. 

The environmental implications of fracking and burning natural gas are complicated and include many environmental benefits.  According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, burning natural gas generates 27 percent less carbon dioxide than burning the cleanest, #2, fuel oil to generate the same amount of heat.  Of note, our building was burning the dirtiest, #6, fuel oil before we upgraded.

Moreover, burning natural gas produces much less aerosol pollution compared to burning to other fuels. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg lobbied for and got Local Law 43 passed to confront the widespread asthma problem in New York City.  According to data from the Environmental Defence Fund, burning natural gas instead of #2 fuel oil (the cleanest) leads to a 20-percent reduction in particulate matter pollution, a 28-percent reduction in nitrogen oxides and a 97-percent reduction in sulfur dioxide pollution. Indeed, in April 2014, The Riverdale Press reported that local pollution had improved.

You noted that particulate matter in the air across NYC had fallen from 18.2 parts per billion in 2001 to 11.5 parts per billion and that sulfur dioxide measured in Riverdale, Kingsbridge and Marble Hill had fallen from 5.9 parts per billion in winter 2009-10 to 2.3 parts per billion in winter 2012-2013. These trends should continue to improve along with falls in asthma rates and other pollution related ills. Anyone who claims to care about the environment should be cheering.

On the other hand, fracking and natural gas does come with some potential downsides.  Natural gas can escape as it is being drilled and transported and escaped gas is a potent green-house gas.  Also, as writers in The Press often point out, steps must be taken to prevent groundwater contamination and earthquakes.  These problems are rare, however, and have occurred in only a tiny fraction of the over 85,000 fractured wells in the United States right now. Good regulations, oversight and strong enforcement can reduce them even further. New York State should be a leader in incentivizing solutions instead of shutting them down.  

The economic implications of switching to natural gas for my building have been amazing. Since converting we’ve made great headway working through a backlog of capital improvements and increased our reserve funds all without raising our maintenance.  We painted our long-neglected hallways last year as well as repaired two collapsing retaining walls. Our fire escapes have been repaired and painted. Keeping our maintenance low leaves more money in the pockets of our shareholders which they can spend as they see fit.  

I’m also proud that the gas we burn is produced domestically by Americans from technology developed domestically. Fracking reduces America’s dependence on countries like Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.  

With all this in mind, I’d like to remind Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Eliot Engel, state Sen. Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Councilman Andrew Cohen of the myriad benefits of fracking to their constituents.  

Ben Unger lives in Riverdale. Point of view is a column open to all.

fracking, Ben Unger

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