- Albany Watch - http://statepolitics.lohudblogs.com -
WATCH LIVE: DEC chief questioned on budget, fracking
Posted By Jon Campbell On February 4, 2013 @ 8:38 am In Other | Comments Disabled
The state Legislature’s joint budget hearings keep rolling along Monday—and this one is expected to draw a crowd.
State Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens is scheduled to testify in front of a panel of lawmakers beginning at 9:30 a.m., with a large contingent of opponents to hydraulic fracturing expected to be on hand. Later, the protesters will head to the state Capitol and hold a rally.
Martens’ appearance is supposed to focus on the state budget, which does not include and regulatory funding or revenues from high-volume hydrofracking—a technique that has been on hold in New York since the Department of Environmental Conservation launched a review in 2008. But Martens is expected to be questioned on the topic by lawmakers, just as he was last year and Health Commissioner Nirav Shah was last week [1].
Martens’ appearance Monday comes at a critical time for his agency. The DEC faces a Nov. 27 deadline to finalize a set of proposed regulations for fracking. But in order to meet that deadline, its lengthy environmental review may have to be released by Feb. 13 [2].
You can watch the environmental conservation budget hearing below, beginning at 9:30 a.m.:
Article printed from Albany Watch: http://statepolitics.lohudblogs.com
URL to article: http://statepolitics.lohudblogs.com/2013/02/04/watch-live-dec-chief-questioned-on-budget-fracking/
URLs in this post:
[1] Health Commissioner Nirav Shah was last week: http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2013/01/30/health-commissioner-fracking-review-will-be-finished-in-the-next-few-weeks/
[2] may have to be released by Feb. 13: http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20130113/NEWS11/301110084/DEC-s-actual-fracking-deadline-could-Feb-13?nclick_check=1
[3] live streaming video: http://www.livestream.com/?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks
[4] nysenate_joint_budget: http://www.livestream.com/nysenate_joint_budget?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks
Click here to print.