Posts Tagged“hydrofracking”

Fracking is Not Coming to the Finger Lakes. Here’s Why.

Hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, is not coming to the Finger Lakes. The process to extract natural gas from shale formations deep below the surface of the earth is almost certainly a dead idea in a large part of New York State. The reason is a concept known as “home rule.” A few weeks ago, the state’s highest court upheld the rights of towns and municipalities to pass their own localized fracking ban or moratorium. The decision is a bit more complicated than that, but it essentially is an endorsement of home rule as a legal concept. Towns that pass…

Will Lack of a United Front Make Fracking Likely in the Finger Lakes?

Don’t look now, but I think hydraulic fracturing — known as fracking — is coming to New York. For some background on fracking, I’d encourage you to read some of our previous coverage: DEC Defends Hydrofracking, but Opponents Worry About Impacts on Finger Lakes Wine Industry (December 2009) Op-Ed: “Fracking: The Most Urgent Issue in the Finger Lakes Wine Industry” Art Hunt, Owner, Hunt Country Vineyards (April 2011) Fracking: Big Questions Still Remain (July 2011) Opposition to Hydraulic Fracturing in the Finger Lakes (By John Ingle, Heron Hill Winery) (November 2011) Fracking Debate: Energy CEO Admits PR Mistakes, But Opponents…

Watch “The Secrets of the Finger Lakes” in its Entirety

“Secrets of the Finger Lakes” aired original on September 12 at 8:30 p.m. on WHAM-TV and on 13wham.com For those of you who missed it — or want to watch it again — here it is broken into four clips. My television news superiors approached me about putting together a special report after the success of my book. At first I hesitated, because I didn’t want to simply air a rehashed set of stories that already appear in print. But then I saw an opportunity to tell new stories; these are some of the stories that do not appear in the…

Fracking Debate: Energy CEO Admits PR Mistakes, But Opponents Still Suspicious

Is Chris Faulkner, the CEO of Breitling Oil & Gas, the perfect messenger for fracking’s future — or the most frightening man in the industry? It depends on your perspective. Joyce Hunt, co-owner of Hunt Country Vineyards on Keuka Lake, considers Faulkner the latter. “He’s so slick, a lot of people will probably believe what he says,” Hunt told me. “That’s what’s so frightening.” Hydrofracking has never had a spokesman as effective as Faulkner. He’s become known as the energy CEO who will go after his own industry for failling to communicate effectively with the public. Faulkner, in previous interviews,…