Repeal New York Environmental Conservation Law Article 23, Title 9: Compulsory Integration and Unitization In Oil and Natural Gas Pools and Fields.
Why is this important?
Many homeowners who oppose hydrofracking will, nonetheless, be required to have it done on their property. This is a violation of basic property rights, but was made legal in New York State with Article 23, as a benefit to the oil and gas industry. It gives these industries the power of eminent domain, usually reserved for the government, so that they can maximize the amount of land for drilling.
With this law in place, unwilling landowners are put at risk for serious health problems due to air pollution and water contamination on their property. They may even be compelled to defend lawsuits resulting from unwanted drilling activities of their neighbors.
Moreover, the landowner’s mortgage could be in technical default of their lending provisions. Reluctance of financial institutions to lend money on these properties has caused difficulty in selling or refinancing.
