Binghamton residents have questions about this gas drilling proposal: What we know
A proposed gas drilling operation using leased land in the Southern Tier has sparked questions and confusion among Binghamton-area residents and local lawmakers.
Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo and State Senator Lea Webb said some local land owners received leasing offers from Southern Tier CO2 Clean Energy Solutions (Southern Tier Solutions) and reached out to Lupardo and Webb's offices with questions.
The offers went to land owners with more than 30 acres of land in Broome, Tioga and Chemung counties. Lupardo said residents came forward wondering if the leases were a scam, and what they meant.
Lupardo and Webb sent a letter to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos Tuesday, following these reports from the community.
What is Southern Tier CO2 Clean Energy Solutions
According to the Southern Tier CO2 Clean Energy Solutions website, the company was founded in 2023, and aims to use CO2 to extract methane gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales. On a frequently asked questions page, STS says their process is not the same as high-volume hydraulic fracturing.
The company's process "employs an anhydrous or waterless process, without added chemicals or proppant," and uses carbon dioxide to retrieve shale gas resources.
"The technique relies heavily on the unique properties of carbon dioxide when in its supercritical phase and the affinity of shale, especially shale containing elevated levels of organic content, to absorb carbon dioxide while desorbing methane gas preferentially," their website says.
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What questions are being raised
In the letter to the DEC, Lupardo and Webb sought information on the company, the science and background surrounding this method of natural gas extraction and the potential environmental impacts of the development, among other questions.
"We're talking about carbon capture facilities, we're talking about thousands of new gas wells, we're talking about pipeline infrastructure, and with everything this community has been though with the Marcellus and Utica shale, we obviously have some questions," said Lupardo.
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Webb and Lupardo said one of their main priorities was keeping both residents and the environment safe, and avoiding results similar to those of fracking, which the two referenced as a large issue for the area in the past.
"We want to make sure that as a state we are doing all that we can to protect our natural resources and that we are not creating harm in any way for residents when it comes to access to clean water, making sure they are not being exposed to dangerous toxins or anything of that nature," said Webb. "It is really important that we do our due diligence to ensure that the promise for economic development that this particular company is trying to advance is not done on the backs of residents of the Southern Tier and across the state."
What happens next
Lupardo said that the company had not reached out to either office, and that the DEC had not reported hearing from the company as of now.
According to Webb, it is unclear how many leases the company has secured, if any.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Southern Tier gas drilling proposal draws questions in Binghamton
