November19,2012 NiravR.Shah,M.D.,M.P.H Commissioner NewYorkStateDepartmentofHealth P.O.Box2602 Albany,NY122202602 DearCommissionerShah: Recently,yourdepartmentreleasedthelistofpublichealthexpertswhowillbereviewingthestates environmentalstudyonshaledevelopmentinNewYork.AccordingtoarecentreportbytheAssociated Press: TheexpertschosenforthehealthreviewwereJohnAdgate,chairmanoftheEnvironmentaland OccupationalHealthDepartmentattheColoradoSchoolofPublicHealth;LynnGoldman,dean ofGeorgeWashingtonUniversitysSchoolofPublicHealthandHealthServices;andRichard Jackson,chairmanoftheDepartmentofEnvironmentalHealthSciencesattheUniversityof CaliforniaLosAngelesFieldingSchoolofPublicHealth.(AP,Nov.

P,Nov.16,2012) Whilewerespecttheacademiccredentialsoftheseexperts,wearenonethelessconcernedabouttheir selectionforareviewthatwasintendedtobeconductedbythemostqualifiedoutsideexperts, accordingtoDepartmentofEnvironmentalConservationCommissionerJoeMartens. Eachoftheseexpertshasshownatroublingwillingnesstospeakpubliclyaboutsupposeddangersand risksofhydraulicfracturing.Whilevoicingconcernsisanunderstandableandattimesnecessary functionofscientificprogress,theseexpertshavechosentomakestatementsthatcontradictwell establishedscientificconclusionsaboutbothhydraulicfracturingandshaledevelopment.Belowisalist ofthosestatementsandotheractivities,which,althoughnotacompletecatalogofthepositionsthe reviewershavetakenonthistopic,presentsaconcerninguniformityofopinionaboutaprocessthat theyarenowtaskedwithconsideringobjectively. StatementsbyProfessorLynnGoldman Goldman:Butalongwiththepromiseofeconomicbenefitsandahealthierplanetcomestheworrythat theexponentialgrowthintheindustryisspawningtroublinghealthrisksincommunitiesnearfracking operations.Thesehazardsincludetoxicchemicalsinthewater,pollutedair,andevenseismicactivity causedbydisposaloffrackingwastewaters.(HuffingtonPost,Oct.24,2012;emphasisadded) Goldman:Inaddition,someofthechemicalsnotjustthoseaddedaspartofthefrackingprocessbut alsochemicalsbroughttothesurfaceinthewastewaterarelinkedtohealthproblemssuchas disruptionoftheendocrinesystemorevencancer.(HuffingtonPost,Oct.24,2012;emphasisadded)

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 Goldman:Asapediatricianandanenvironmentalhealthexpert,Iworryaboutpeoplelivingnearthe drillsites,includingyoungpeople.Childrenaremoreexposedtopollutantssimplybecausetheyinhaleor ingestmoreperbodyweightandoftenarelesscapableofdetoxifyingdangeroussubstancesas efficientlyasadults.Theymaybemoresusceptiblebecausetoxicexposuresatcriticalperiodsof developmentcanhavelifelonghealthconsequences.(HuffingtonPost,Oct.24,2012) StatementsbyProfessorRichardJackson Jackson:Pickupanynewspaperinanycityintheworldanydayoftheyear;youwillfindaheadlinethat involveshealthandenvironment.AsIwritethismanystatesaregrapplingwiththechallengeof hydraulicfracturingofshaleandothernaturalgassources,andyesthereisfrackinginCalifornia. Thesemostunregulateddrillingprocessesnumberinginthehundredsofthousandshaveimpactsonair qualityincludingglobalwarming,drinkingwaterandotherwaters,soils,airquality,andnearby populationsincludingbynoise.Frackinginvolvesseriousworkerexposuresandwilllikelycause silicosisandotherlethaldiseases.Whatweextractfromtheearthmethane,coal,mercury,metalsand morealleventuallyembedinthenaturalworldandinourbodies.Whatwemaketohelpgrowfood, controlpests,moveourcarsandflameproofourcomputers;allthesechemicalsendupinthebiosphere andinourchildren.Howwebuildourcommunitiesshapesourenergyuse,socializing,andphysical activity.(FieldingSchoolofPublicHealth,IntroductiontoUCLAEnvironmentalHealthSciences Program;emphasisadded) Jackson:Thisisaveryimportantpanel.Whatsthescienceandwhatarethenextsteps?Whatsthe evidence?Howdowelookattheseadversehealtheffectsonhydrofracking?Howcanweminimize thoseeffects,andparticularlyasthetechnologyevolves?(InstituteofMedicineRoundtable,Health ImpactofNewEnergySources:ShaleGasExtraction,May1,2012;emphasisadded) BackgroundonProfessorJohnAdgate JohnAdgateistheChairoftheDepartmentofEnvironmentalandOccupationalHealthattheColorado SchoolofPublicHealth(CSPH),whichrecentlyconductedacontroversialhealthimpactassessment,of whichDr.Adgatewasapart.Adgateandhisfellowresearchersdeterminedthatnaturalgas developmentmaycausefuturehealthimpactsforthoselivingwithinadefinedproximitytonaturalgas wellsites.Thestudywasahypotheticalmodelingexerciseanddidnotprovideanyevidenceofactual healthproblems. ThestudyutilizedairtoxicsdatacollectedinGarfieldCounty,Colo.,betweenJanuary2008and November2010.ColoradoupdateditsregulatoryrequirementsforoilandgassystemsinFebruary2009, andthusalargeportionofthedatausedinformingthestudysconclusionsrepresentedanoperating environmentthatnolongerexistsinthestate.Additionally,thestudyutilizedairsamplestakenwithin onemileofamajorU.S.interstate(I70)todetermineemissionslevelsnotablybenzenefromoiland naturalgasdevelopment.Thisisproblematic,astheU.S.EPAhasfoundthatmostofthenations benzeneemissionscomefromcars,trucksandothermobilesourcesandexposurelevelsarehighest nearmajorroads.Thestudyalsoreliedonflawedassumptionsthatexaggeratedtheemissions associatedwithdrillingandcompletingnewgaswells.Asaresult,thestudysconclusionsdramatically inflatedthehealthrisksassociatedwithnaturalgasdevelopment.
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 Becauseoftheseandmanyothererrors,theassessmentreceivedstrongcriticismfromtheColorado DepartmentofPublicHealthandEnvironment,andthestudywasdecommissionedbytheGarfield CountycommissionersinMay2011.TheCSPHresearchersclaimedtohavebeenworkingcloselywith GarfieldCountyofficialstocollecttheirdata,butthecountyschiefenvironmentalhealthofficial,Jim Rada,toldthepresshehadnoknowledgeofwhattheresearcherswereevenstudying. Astheabovestatementsandworkattest,theselectionoftheseexpertsappearstocontradictthe statesintentionofhavinganindependentandobjectivereview.Webelievethatsuchareviewrequires adiversityofopinionsonthesubjectunderconsiderationhydraulicfracturingastandardthatthe statehasunfortunatelyfallenshortofmeetingwiththeselectionofthese(andonlythese)three experts. UnemploymentintheSouthernTierofNewYorkisabovethenationalaverage,andtheDEChasalready determinedthatresponsibleMarcellusshaledevelopmentincludinghighvolumehydraulicfracturing couldcreatemorethan50,000newjobsinthestate.TheoverallimpactonNewYorkwages, accordingtoDEC,wouldrangefrom$621milliontoasmuchas$2.5billion.Andthisdoesnoteven includethesignificantnewtaxrevenuesthatshaledevelopmentwouldprovideforlocalgovernmentsto payforvitalpublicserviceslikeschoolsandroads,ormorepoliceandfirefighters. Simplyput,NewYorkresidentswhoneedjobsandmustsupporttheirfamiliesshouldbegivenafair shotatboth,andthestatehasalreadyoutlinedthejobsandeconomicopportunitythatdevelopment couldbringtomanyofthem.Thestakesaresimplytoohightohingethesefamilieseconomicfutureon athreepersonreviewboardwhosestatedopinionssuggestaninabilitytoconsidershaledevelopment objectively. Tobeclear,webelievethethreeexpertsselectedcanprovidevaluableinputinthisreview.Butinorder tomeetthedemandsofNewYorkresidentswhodeserveandstronglysupportafair,openand independentprocessweencouragethestateofNewYorktoconsideradditionalexpertstoallowfora truediversityofperspectives. Sincerely,

Lee O. Fuller Executive Director Energy In Depth

CC:

Andrew Cuomo, Governor, State of New York Joe Martens, Commissioner, New York Department of Environmental Conservation

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