ONEONTA, 8/7/08 -- State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I-Oneonta) said today that local governments should be consulted by state regulators when drilling permits are being reviewed. Seward made his comments at a forum in Oneonta on Wednesday, August 6 at the Oneonta High School, where he joined a panel sponsored by the Otsego County Planning Department.
Seward said that local governments should be "involved agencies" under the state environmental quality review act (SEQRA). He has recommended that localities in his district pass resolutions urging the DEC, as part of its updated regulations, to define local governments as involved agencies.
"The DEC commissioner has announced a public process to supplement the generic environmental review under SEQRA, which will result in site specific environmental reviews," Seward said. "I hope that interested persons will participate in the DEC’s effort to update its regulations. In my view, local governments should be able to offer comments on many of the impacts that are typically considered in scoping under SEQRA, including traffic, noise, dust, road standards, that a project might generate. Local officials can reliably and knowledgeably speak to issues that would otherwise arise in a site plan review." Seward has provided local governments within his district sample resolutions that they can adopt and send to the DEC.Seward reiterated his position that proper environmental reviews should be in place to review drilling permits but that with soaring home energy prices it would be counterproductive for the state to ban drilling.
Seward has provided local governments within his district sample resolutions that they can adopt and send to the DEC.
Seward reiterated his position that proper environmental reviews should be in place to review drilling permits but that with soaring home energy prices it would be counterproductive for the state to ban drilling.
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