Tom Wilber
Tom Wilber

The status and future of shale gas development in New York State will be the focus of a talk with journalist Tom Wilber, author of Under the Surface: Fracking, Fortunes, and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale, presented by Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries, Clarkson University.

The event, moderated by Hudson River environmentalist John Cronin, takes place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Institute’s Center for Environmental Innovation and Education (CEIE) at Denning’s Point in Beacon.

Wilber and Cronin will discuss recent developments, including a decision by the New York State Court of Appeals to allow municipalities to ban fracking. Fracking refers to technology to extract gas and oil by drilling long horizontal well-bores through shale rock and then breaking it apart with high volume injections of pressurized water, sand and chemicals. The ruling, on an issue known as “Home Rule,” has the potential to create a landmark, trend-setting story as events unfold for upstate New York communities.

“I expect that with the new decision by New York State to empower local decision-makers to grapple with fracking, there will be a whole new level of personal engagement,” Wilber said.

The event takes place at 199 Dennings Ave., Beacon, and is free and open to the public. Online registration requested. Visit bire.org.

Photo courtesy of BIRE

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