Environmental Analysis Of Governor Cuomo - 991 Words

Governor Cuomo, My name is Shaheer Ahmed, a health consultant from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR), an agency that works under the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Our goal is to give recommendations to policymakers based on our research of hazardous sites and their potential health implications in order to prevent communities from adverse health outcomes due to environmental exposures. I am writing to you today in regards to the natural gas Hydraulic fracturing (â€Å"fracking†) of the Marcellus Shale in the State of New York. We have conducted an analysis regarding the aspects of air quality, water exposure, and overall impacts to health. From conducting a scientific analysis of the issue, the ASTDR does not†¦show more content†¦The blood and urine was analyzed for elevated VOC values. The results were inconclusive, and could not give proper evidence to the gas wells as a source of exposure (Zucker, 2017). Although the evidence could n ot directly point to gas wells as a source, elevated VOC values of individuals in communities is still a health risk that needs to be looked into. Water quality is another aspect that should be taken into consideration. The process of fracking requires three to eight million gallons of water per well (NYC Environmental Protection, 2017). The water is needed to help break the rock deep underground and release natural gas. Wastewater is generated though the fracking process, and requires specific treatment and disposal methods. One process of disposal involves injecting the wastewater deep into the ground (NYC Environmental Protection, 2017). If disposed inadequately, there are chances that the wastewater could leak back into the surface, along with heavy metals, radium isotopes and other waste, with the possibility of leaking into groundwater and surface water sources (Zucker, 2017). In the case of New York City, the Catskill-Delaware watersheds lay on top of the Marcellus shale. T his watershed is the source of drinking water for 9 million New York City residents (Eaton, 2013). WhenShow MoreRelatedEthical Companies12021 Words   |  49 Pagesas well as information Ethisphere gathered throughout the year, a list of semi-finalists was created. 3. In-Depth Analysis At this stage, semi-finalist companies were notified and given an in-depth survey questionnaire to fill out regarding their ethics and compliance program, governance and corporate responsibility. 4. Further Refinement Ethisphere then conducted data analysis on hundreds of companies based on their responses to the survey, as well as documents and information researched and