EPA questions New York state plan to drill for shale gas

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has “serious reservations” about allowing shale gas drilling in New York City’s watershed, warning of a threat to the drinking water for 9 million people.

An EPA report on the divisive issue is the latest potential roadblock for energy companies seeking to exploit the Marcellus Shale formation, which state officials say may contain enough natural gas to satisfy U.S. demand for more than a decade.

“We have concerns regarding potential impacts to human health and the environment that we believe warrant further scientific and regulatory analysis,” wrote John Filippelli, chief of the agency’s Strategic Planning and Programs Branch.

“EPA has serious reservations about whether gas drilling in the New York City watershed is consistent with the vision of high-quality unfiltered water supply,” he wrote in the agency’s report, dated Wednesday.

Reuters