December 2014 - High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing for Shale Gas Development. HVHF is a complex activity that could affect many communities in New York State. . Until the science provides sufficient information to determine the level of risk to public health from HVHF and whether the risks can be adequately managed, HVHF should not proceed in New York State. #fracking
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December 17, 2014
Hon. Joseph Martens
Commissioner
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12207
Dear Commissioner Martens:
In September 2012, you asked Dr. Shah, then Commissioner of Health, to initiate a Public Health
Review of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s draft Supplemental Generic Environmental
Impact Statement for High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF). I assumed responsibility for this
review when Dr. Shah left. It became clear during this assessment that DOH’s Public Health Review
needed to extend beyond the scope of the initial request to consider, more broadly, the current state of
science regarding HVHF and public health risks. This required an evaluation of the emerging scientific
information on environmental public health and community health effects. This also required an
analysis of whether such information was sufficient to determine the extent of potential public health
impacts of HVHF activities in New York State (NYS) and whether existing mitigation measures
implemented in other states are effectively reducing the risk for adverse public health impacts.
As with most complex human activities in modern societies, absolute scientific certainty
regarding the relative contributions of positive and negative impacts of HVHF on public health is
unlikely to ever be attained. In this instance, however, the overall weight of the evidence from the
cumulative body of information contained in this Public Health Review demonstrates that there are
significant uncertainties about the kinds of adverse health outcomes that may be associated with HVHF,
the likelihood of the occurrence of adverse health outcomes, and the effectiveness of some of the
mitigation measures in reducing or preventing environmental impacts which could adversely affect
public health. Until the science provides sufficient information to determine the level of risk to public
health from HVHF to all New Yorkers and whether the ri