New York lawmakers push to strengthen the state's ban on fracking. Here's the latest

A bill to ban CO2 fracking has passed in both the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate, and now awaits approval on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk.

The Assembly bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Anna Kelles and co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo among others, passed in the Assembly earlier this month. Last Wednesday, the senate bill, which was sponsored by State Senator Lea Webb, passed.

The bill comes in response to a proposition by Southern Tier Solutions to use liquified carbon dioxide to extract methane gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales in the Southern Tier. Environmentalist groups across the state have claimed this method exploits a loophole in New York State law, which currently only bans hydraulic fracturing using at least 300,000 gallons of water.

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What is CO2 extraction?

Southern Tier Solutions has proposed an alternative method for extracting methane gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales in upstate New York. The company claims this method of extraction, which uses supercritical CO2 instead of water, would be carbon negative and does not share the same risks as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Researchers and environmental groups have argued CO2 extraction poses the same problems as traditional hydraulic fracturing methods. According to Anthony Ingraffea, Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering Emeritus at Cornell University, who studies complex fracturing and natural gas development, said that most risks of fracking come from the industrialization required to run a large fracking operation.

Oakley Shelton-Thomas, senior researcher with environmental group Food and Water Watch, said CO2 extraction could pose more risks than hydraulic fracturing. According to Shelton-Thomas, both fracking and CO2 injection can be linked to increased seismic activity and could increase the risks of earthquakes in the area.

In the Southern Tier, Shelton-Thomas pointed to potential groundwater contamination, carbon dioxide leaks and the potential for the process to destabilize orphaned and abandoned wells.

"This is a particular risk in the Southern Tier for both CO2 and methane leakage," said Shelton-Thomas. "The Southern Tier has thousands of abandoned plugged and unplugged wells dating back to the 19th century. Many of these older wells were drilled and abandoned before any sort of regulation."

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What happens next

In a Zoom meeting introducing the bill in February, Webb said CO2 extraction was clearly a dangerous suggestion, and that taking actions to prevent its development was a serious responsibility.

"As we continue to deal with the negative impacts of climate change, it is imperative that we take action to address any other ways in which companies or other entities are trying to create even more environmental harm and health risks which stay with families for generations," said Webb. "We have to do something, and we most certainly will."

The next steps are for Hochul to consider the bill, and decide whether it will ultimately become law in New York.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: New York fracking ban expansion latest: What happens next