On The Wilder Side:

Long time Green Party member Hank Bardel is running for congress in New York’s 13th Congressional District. Hank owns acreage in eastern Pennsyvania which is over the Marcellus Shale formation. Recently Hank was offered over $264,000 with 21% royalties to allow companies to drill there and he turned them down.

I’m very worried about keeping the ground water, where I own the property, very clean. We have a lot of dairy farms in the area and I would like to see them and the people who live in the area to continue to get good clean water. Until the oil and gas companies can prove to me scientifically that the fracturing process will not leave harmful chemicals behind, I cannot in good conscience allow the drilling to start.

Many New Yorkers are very concerned about the the New York City water supply, especially since a lot of its water comes from water sheds that sit over the Marcellus Shale. I think many gas and oil companies would like to drill in near those areas.

Hank Bardel previously ran in 2002 for congress in NY’s 13th Congressional District, and is seeking the Green Party line again this year. The 13th CD includes all of Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn like Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Fort Hamilton, Dyker Heights and Gravesend. His website.