Suffolk bill aims to protect aquifers by banning fracking waste
The sale and use of liquid waste from hydraulic fracturing will be banned in Suffolk County under an aquifer-protection bill expected to be signed by the county executive this month.
The legislation, sponsored by Legis. William Spencer (D-Centerport), is aimed at the byproducts of the hydraulic fracturing process, used to extract natural gas from rock formations using chemicals, water and pressure. The bill passed unanimously at the legislature's April 29 meeting.
New York has not issued rules on hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, so the procedure is not currently performed in the state. But it is done in other states, including neighboring Pennsylvania.
Spencer's legislation bans the sale of fracking byproducts within the county. It also prohibits the wastewater...| read more ››