Steuben County officials are preparing for the impact natural gas drilling could have on county-wide issues for decades to come.
“I know, at first glance, it’s intimidating,” county Planning Director Greg Heffner told the Legislature’s Agriculture, Industry and Planning Committee Monday. “The key is, if it’s going to happen here, it probably will happen at one level or another. They just think we might want to be prepared.”
Portions of the vast natural gas deposit located in the Marcellus Shale are located under Steuben County.
The deposit ranges in a wide arc from West Virginia to Lake Erie, and could be one of the largest gas fields in the U.S.
So far, no drilling sites in Steuben County have been identified, but a depleted gas well in the town of Pulteney is being looked at now for disposal of waste water resulting from the drilling process.
According to the county’s Environmental Management Council, the pros and cons of drilling could be wide ranging, dramatically affecting employment, industry and schools, tourism, housing, public safety, roads and bridges, the environment, land use regulations and revenues.
Heffner said one effect of the gas drilling could be an increase in rents because transient workers are paid high living allowances by gas companies.
“So, will there be more evictions, so landlords can rent to these workers?” Heffner said. “That would be a question.”
Committee members said the first step is reviewing plans already in place in similar counties. Chemung County also is beginning to develop a plan for the Marcellus project.
Heffner told the committee most of the information requested by the EMC is already available and simply needs to be reorganized into a specific plan.
In other action, the committee agreed to officially oppose state legislation allowing work-related benefits for farm laborers.
Legislator Dan Farrand, R-Rathbone, raised the issue and said a large number of the constituents in his rural district are opposed the law.
A local dairy farmer, Legislator Robert Nichols, R-Tuscarora, said the legislation would hurt local farmers.
“It’s going to hurt an industry that is already hurting,” Nichols said.
Bath, N.Y. —
