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THE STATE OF New York is to ban fracking, citing unresolved health issues and uncertain economic benefits of the controversial gas-drilling technique.
The State’s Environment Commissioner said today that he is recommending a ban, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would defer to the Commissioner in making the decision.
A series of major environmental and health reviews which took almost six years were carried out into the practice which concluded that it carried unacceptable risks that haven’t been sufficiently studied.
A final environmental impact statement will be published early next year, following which the Environmental Commissioner said he’ll issue an official order prohibiting fracking.
The announcement has been welcome by environmental groups.
“Mounting scientific evidence points to serious health risks from fracking operations,” said Kate Sinding of the Natural Resources Defence Council in the US.
Some US states and other countries have moved to ban certain types of fracking, although the industry contends the techniques have been in use for decades and are safe.
A number of local authorities around Ireland have moved to ban fracking in their areas, although the votes have been largely symbolic.
Fracking is a way of extracting natural gas reserves from pockets in underground rock. Water and chemicals are pumped underground at high pressures to fracture rocks and allow the pockets of natural gas to escape.
The oil industry has used fracking for decades, but it is only in recent years that the technology has advanced to make it possible to use as a technique for extracting gas reserves.
The acting Health Commissioner for New York, Howard Zucker said there were ‘significant public health risks’ and ‘red flag’ health issues that require long-term studies before fracking can be called safe.
He said that today’s decision came down to one question: Would he want to live in a community that allows fracking?
“My answer is no,” he said.
He added: “We can’t afford to make a mistake. The potential dangers are too great.”
Additional reporting by Associated Press and AFP.
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Should have been made president. We’d all be in a better place.
Speaking of Ireland, did our government vote in favour this….UN Watch outraged as Saudi Arabia takes place on UN Women’s Right Commission https://www.rt.com/news/385847-women-rights-un-saudis/
@Lepanto: My god. Absolutely scandal
@Lepanto: Did you know that child marriage and marital rape are legal in Saudi Arabia? Legalised paedophilia. Well done lads.
@Lepanto: It would be a national embarrassment if are government voted them lot in.
Maybe thejournal could do some actual journalism for once and find out for us.
@Lepanto I’m sure our government did exactly what they were told by the US on this matter. It was bad enough them getting the chair of that UN Human Rights Committee thanks to the UK and US. It’s not strange that the only media that are covering this story are RT when the MSM are silent in the issue. That savage medieval head chopping lashing regime is actually the biggest sponsor of terrorism in the world, not Iran as the US keeps saying. They are behind all the carnage in Yemen, Syria and Iraq as they export and fund their fundamentalist poison wherever they can. Regimes don’t get much more vile. The UN should be isolating them from all civilisation, not giving them influence.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: “Other countries with seats on the council include Algeria, Comoros, Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Iraq, Haiti, and Turkmenistan” More beacons of light for women’s rights! It was a secret vote of course. UN is losing any credibility it had left at this stage
@The Thinker: agreed,..if he had got the Democrat nomination I think he would have easily won the Presidency race…
@Matty kinevan: I’ve an idea..why don’t our resident mangina and feminazis kick up a stink ….all it takes here is a broken fingernail and our shower snowflakes and abortionistas are going ape..let them take on Saudi. ..oh wait ..they may actually find that Ireland is not that bad a place …
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: “That savage medieval head chopping lashing regime is actually the biggest sponsor of terrorism in the world, not Iran as the US keeps saying.”
You’re half right. Saudi Arabia, US-backed, are funding terrorism all over the world and are one of the most disgusting regimes around.
However, Iran, Russia-backed, are also state sponsors of terrorism. Don’t get it twisted – the Russians are supporting terrorism with their support of Iran just as much as the US are with their support of the House of Saud.
Ironically, the only candidate who wasn’t a sellout will sell out.
@OU812: Bernie sold out when he campaigned for the woman and the party who actively screwed him out of a fair shot at the nomination.
@Militant Lez: what’s wrong with supporting the lesser of two evils in his mind? This whole selling out business is nonsense. That’s politics.
@The Guru: he supported the woman and the party who took active measures to ensure he could never have a fair crack of the whip, not to mention she is the antithesis of everything he once stood for.
@Militant Lez: Millionaire-socialist Bernie Sanders is coming to Dublin? Fantastic. It would be great if he bought his 4th home in Ireland.
@Militant Lez: eh, the party wanted a member of their party to win, there was only one member of their party running. That’s politics. Bernie understands this, he has said as much
@Dave O Keeffe: Are you a shill for the DNC?
@Militant Lez: did he really sell out? Can you honestly say now that Trump is president the world would not have been better off with Hillary? He knew that. Your comment is ignorant.
@Seth Cheffetz: I’m curious Seth: exactly *how* would the world have been better off with Hillary?
Excellent news .Thanks to Sanders there is a new generation of voters who realise that socialism is the cure to many of their woes, such as affordable healthcare and education.
@The Risen: worked wonders in Venezuela
@The Risen:
Its working a treat in Venezuela.
@The Risen: Socialism goes against everything that has driven mankind forward for millenia!!..It is lazy, stagnant and devoid of any initiative to achieve!
@The Risen: Bernie Sanders the socialist with multiple palatial homes dotted across the United States. #Solidarity
@Lord Clanricarde: Socialism works in certain areas. Look at primary & secondary school education. Certain things need to be done collectively.
@Lord Clanricarde:
Socialism.. It’s like standing in a bucket and trying to pick yourself up.
@Militant Lez: reminds of Paul Murphy. Another champagne socialist. Or jammings hero, gorry Adams.
@Alan Brogan: Adams has multiple properties across the country alright many of which are in well to do suburbs.
@Séamus Ó Súileabháin: Ireland actually has a very good balance between socialism and capitalism. Too much of anything is a bad thing. Hence why Ireland is a pretty stable country and honestly one of the best. Of course most people just can’t see how good we have it.
@Alan Brogan:
And he is in court today hopefully to be found guilty
@Noelle Walsh: The socialism experts are out in force again today repeating the same old American paranoid rhetoric about a subject they have proven to no very little about. Venezuela is NOT Socialism. It’s a dictatorship!!! We need to mix some socialist ideals into our society fast before we go back to the 19th century. It works in Scandanavia so why not at least look at some ideas rafter than shutting the down with all the “money doesn’t grow on trees” rhetoric. Do some research rather than constantly spouting the Fox narrative.
@Noelle Walsh:
Did you read the article that you are using to try and defend socialism. The problem is that Venezuela is not able to cope with competitive economic trading. It wants to sell oil to the West and benefit from high prices associated with capitalism but will stay socialist when it gets its hands on the cash. Also, did u spot the bit about corruption in Venezuela? As I said, it is working a treat
@Soccer T’s:
I agree with you, we do need to mix socialist ideas into our society and we need to do it quickly. The problem is that people go to the extremes. The capitalists are seen to just want to profit at all cost and the socialists are seen as loonies that don’t want to work nor pay for anything. The socialist parties in Ireland and most countries show little or no financial acumen and are unelectable. however, as you highlight, in Scandinavia they appear to have made more progress than the rest of us
@Soccer T’s: Murphy and his ilk are idiots. Their socialist utopia is simply a pipe dream that they cant achieve so instead they take the “anti everything” populist approach to garner support but at the same time they make a joke of even the most conservative socialist beliefs. Would it be too much to expect free education and health for all at least? It has been proven to work elsewhere so why not give it a go? Nobody is really suggesting that we go “full socialism” in relation to property rights etc so let’s consider the options without going into full drama mode every time socialism is mentioned.
@Nick Allen: Couldn’t agree more with you and it’s a pleasure to read a level headed comment on this issue, for a change.
@Soccer T’s:
I think we could do with a new word to describe a political ideology with socialist beliefs. AAA, just starting the name of your parties name with the word Anti says it all. They then changed it to Solidarity, again the associations with the word solidarity sends the wrong message. I do like the fact the Macron in France refers to himself and is ideology as Centrist. I like this idea and I like the though of someone from a socialist party that has a very strong financial background and understands banking and economies. he would get my vote if I was French, that said the competition is not exactly setting the bar high
Amazing that Venezuela was a socialist utopia when it was going well but as soon as it goes tits up “it’s not really socialist”.
@Soccer T’s: socialism is immoral. As conservative pundit Ben Shapiro puts it, it breaks at least three of the 10 commandments: it sets the state up as God, it covets the wealth of those who have and steals from them to give to people with less. Only capitalism says you own the fruits of your own labour. It is the most basic form of democracy: I get to choose what to spend my money on, not the the govt.
@Séamus Ó Súileabháin: what is it about schooling that couldn’t be taken care of by the private sectot?
@cholly appleseed: that only makes sense if you think there’s such a thing as too nuch choice and that it’s much better for someone else to make the decisions that affect your life.
@Lord Clanricarde: Worked very well for bankers and bondholders.
@Militant Lez:
Or the other excuses such as, “It’s not the right kind of Socialism”…” Socialism has never been implemented properly ” or” Not Socialist enough “
@Squarepeg01: Yes, we should all base economic policy on a book from the iron age….
@Rui Firmino: good to see the great minds of the left are hard at work. If I had quoted Shakespeare, would you have chimed in? But the Bible…OMG! Just to be clear – no, I don’t think state law should be based on the ‘a book from the iron age’ but nor do I thnk thete is anything too controversial about the 3 commandments I listed: unless you think it’s a good idea to have false gods, to be a slave to envy or to steal?
@Squarepeg01: No, I wouldn’t think Shakespeare would have anything relevant to say about economics either.
@Militant Lez: Sanders actually advocates for higher taxes on the top 1% and a higher minimum wage. Trump doesn’t. You can be a millionaire and fight for equality – Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, et al. I know it’s hard for you to keep two thoughts like that in your tiny mind.
@Squarepeg01: Yes, squarepeg, Jesus was a total capitalist. FFS, these dopey conservatives and their hypocrisy,
@The Risen: No joan burton types please.
@Soccer T’s: “The socialism experts are out in force again today repeating the same old American paranoid rhetoric about a subject they have proven to no very little about. Venezuela is NOT Socialism. It’s a dictatorship!!! ”
Sure, it’s a dictatorship. But it’s a dictatorship that is implementing socialist policies that would be incredibly similar to a democratically elected socialist government. The fact that it was not put in place by the people does not prove it is not ‘real socialism’ – the regime is quite plainly based on socialist principles.
@The Risen: errr…. He’s not even vaguely a socialist; he doesn’t believe in social ownership.
He’s a social democrat that espouses the Nordic Model of capitalism.
I wonder would he have won the election if the Democrats did not betray him over Hillary Clinton.
@Eoin Mulhern: he probably would have. Americans were left with a pretty awful choice, I’d like to think that Sanders would have wiped the floor with Clinton
@Eoin Mulhern: no he wouldn’t
@Eoin Mulhern: the red necks would have stayed in bed for sanders but Hilary well they really hate her
@Eoin Mulhern: Keep in mind, Eoin, Bernie is not a member of the DNC so they hold no allegiance to him. What don’t people get about that?
Probably looking to buy a holiday home.
@Ben McArthur: I believe he’s up to 3 mansions and a sports car now.
@Ben McArthur: probably stopping off on the way to visit his brother
“Ticket prices for his Dublin appearance are being kept low. They’re priced at €15, and you get a copy of his book (which retails at around €12 anyway) to take home. They go on sale on Friday.”
That’s a bit of a bargain.
@Darren Bates: He needs to ensure that the Jobstown contingent can afford a ticket
Always thought he was the only candidate for this job and a pity things went the way they did for him. Standing beside him were two gangsters
@Alan Scott: Only one gangster sabotaged his bid and his party who betrayed him.. Sanders “faliure” lies at Kilarrys door..nothing to do with Trump, as much as you would like it to!..He then stood with his party and behind Clinton in her campaign, a gutleess party politician!
@Lord Clanricarde: His party did not betray him. He’s not a Democrat. He’s an independent who chose to run as a Democrat.
The Chicken guy ??? Can’t wait
This is same Sanders who allowed himself to be bullied of a stage by a BLM mouthpiece.. No wonder he didn’t stand a chance in the election.
@Lepanto: He didn’t stand a chance,because the Democratic Party, got behind their long-term candidate ..they also thought that Trump didn’t have a chance against Hillary..And,as for your BLM crap..Yawn! Change the fooking record..
Clinton made a fool of him. Anyone that knows they have been shafted and then actually campaigns for the person that shafted you and made a fool of you. Really says a lot about sanders. Easily walked over .
Not the ideal thing to do, campaigning for Hillary, but what other hope was there? Trump is a sociopath.
@The Thinker: ideal thing to do. Would have been to show some dignity instead of a fool . He obviously didn’t mind spouting nonsense for a woman who cheated to beat him.
….and?
He must be short of a few dollars.
He wouldn’t be the first politician to take up speaking as a nixer. George Osborne is the highest paid MP in the UK because he does a few engagements a year.
Didn’t Bernie Sanders endorse Hillary Clinton?
I wonder will he pay tax on his fee
A brilliant man
@Jonathan Yeo: NOT
@Randy Fisher: YES
Feel free to keep him
@Cathy Conley: thanks, Cathy, but we have more than enough Looney Lefties here.
In the wise words of Jack Nicholson (As Good as It Gets) “Sell crazy some place else. We’re all stocked up here”. :-)
An evening of delusion no doubt! Spend everybody’s else money until there none left.
wtf? Irish people are such suckers. Has anyone looked at his economic policies? He makes the AAA look like a reasonable and steady hand. Hard left would be an understatement.
Bernie’s appearance in the BGET will be a Q & A with that other well known socialist, David McWilliams.
Who’s organizing the protest?
He’s a legend.
Welcome comrade.
Where do they go on sale please?????
I’ve admired Bernie’s politics and his position since i was a teenager, way back in the days of Politically Incorrect. I don’t think any of us will ever really know the truth of his capitulation but when he supported the “her” instead of the “us”, i lost my final grain of hope in politicians. And before the sjw brigade chime in with their sexist this & that, the day Elizabeth Warren voiced support for Shillary invoked a similar feeling. Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren should have been the ticket that gave America back what it needs but instead, they gave into the same old same old, they gave into the corrupt & the era of Trump is the reward. I won’t be going to see Bernie when he comes to Ireland, not because i didn’t believe in him but because i did and he betrayed the faith that alot of people had in him, just like almost every other politician i can think of. For all his claims of starting a new movement etc, America is continuing to go backwards and the DNC showed it’s true colors already, they’re not red, white & blue, they’re yellow. Fear is how the corrupt win every time, it’s what helped Donald Trump become president and it’s what stops electorates across the world from embracing change.
Where is he gonna get a pastrami and rye with the dill pickles and brown mustid in Duublynn? Will that other tough guy from Brouklynn Baarry Manilow be providing security. SNL could do a great skit on this one.
@Joe Caulfield: Larry David 2020 “Make America Meh Again”
@The Unknown Souldier: LOL!!
A paystroimey and roiy in every pot.
Dalkey? ah yeah. champaign socialists.
I wonder what he’ll think of Ireland. We have the taxes of a social democracy without any of the benefits.
Hope I can get a ticket!
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