Almost 1000 attend Ithaca meeting about natural gas drilling
	11-19-09 Ithaca (WSYR-TV) - Almost 1000 people packed into the State Theater in Ithaca Thursday night to tell the State Department of Environmental Conservation what they think about its proposal to change natural gas drilling guidelines. Over 100 people signed up for a chance to share their concerns publicly for 3 minutes. The meeting went on for 5 hours. Everyone in attendance was also given the chance to fill out comment cards for the state. Much of the concern over drilling in the Marcellus shale formation is based on questions about the environmental impact of the drilling method, called “Hydrofracking.” The method pushes water and some chemicals down into the well under high pressure to fracture the shale, and release gas. “This drilling technique is not the same as traditional drilling techniques and the comprehensive nature of how they are preparing to industrialize the countryside is something we have no even begun to imagine,” said County Legislator Martha Robertson. On Wednesday, November 4, the DEC extended the end of the comment period from Nov. 30 to Dec. 31. Environmental groups, residents and politicians had criticized the agency for initially setting a 60-day comment period, saying that wasn't long enough for people to thoroughly evaluate the 804-page document. The comment cards and the five hours-worth of protest from tonight's public hearing will be submitted for consideration by the DEC. The Tompkins County Council of Governments hosted tonight's meeting. The regulations are available on the DEC Web site. You can submit comments on the DEC Web site as well.