Investigative Post

My buddy Jerry Sullivan, reacting to the news that Terry and Kim Pegula purchased the Buffalo Bills, wrote that Tuesday was “a day for people to cry and embrace … in communal joy, relief and celebration.” Well, I was happy to hear the news, but mostly for different reasons than what Sully had in mind. […]

The Erie County Legislature today banned high volume hydraulic fracturing on county land and imports of any drilling waste to its water treatment facilities. The legislation passed 9-2. The vote comes almost three years after Buffalo became the second city in the nation to ban the controversial gas drilling practice, also called “hydrofracking.” On Dec. […]

Can a New York town or city ban hydrofracking? Buffalo and 61 other municipalities already have passed bans. But the state’s highest court will decide if towns and cities have the power to do so. A report from Bloomberg.

Reports ProPublica: “Environmentalists see an agency (EPA) that is systematically disengaging from any research that could be perceived as questioning the safety of fracking or oil drilling.”

The Buffalo-based Public Accountability Initiative has issued a new report, this one detailing ties between environmental groups and the natural gas industry participating in the Center for Sustainable Shale Development.

Methane is a more harmful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. It’s also a byproduct of hydrofracking. A report from the Guardian.

Health Commissioner Shah says he could have a decision to the governor in a few weeks on whether to allow hydraulic fracturing. Neither the governor nor Shah said they need to wait for the results of a study that will look at health histories of scores of people living near natural gas wells.

The Public Accountability Initiative offers the first extensive report of the connections between the natural gas industry, Pennsylvania government officials and the environmental regulators.