I am a senior attorney in NRDC’s New York Urban Program. Before joining NRDC in November 2006, I was in private practice at a small environmental law firm in New York City. One of the best things about being in the Urban Program is that I get to work on a really broad array of matters, some of which you wouldn’t even automatically think of as being “urban.” For example, right now, I am working on such diverse matters as pursuing legislation to require recycling of electronic waste (i.e., old TVs and computers); opposing the development of proposed massive casino complexes in the ecologically important Catskill Region, which is the source of the famed New York City drinking water supply; and reducing the number of unwanted catalogs that bombard most of us every day. I live in New York City, where I have been ever since I started college. What makes New York such a livable place for an outdoors fanatic like me is how surprisingly easy it is to get to activities like surfing, mountain biking and snowboarding, much of it by public transportation.
Posted January 20, 2012 by Kate Sinding in Environmental Justice
An announcement yesterday from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency brought a welcome patch of good news for the residents of Dimock: the federal agency will use its authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liabilty, Act (also known as...continued→
Posted January 12, 2012 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
Yesterday marked the close of the public comment period on NY's environmental impact study and proposed regulations for new fracking. As expected, the response to this controversial proposal was overwhelming. Although we have not yet seen an official tally, it is...continued→
Posted January 10, 2012 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
Tomorrow marks the last official moment for New Yorkers across the state to speak up and have their opinions heard about the current proposal for the expansion of fracking here. The public comment period for the state’s environmental impact study...continued→
Posted December 5, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
Recently, I blogged how on how the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection was planning to allow Cabot to terminate its provision of fresh, drinkable water to the residents of Dimock, PA on November 30. Since the contamination of Dimock groundwater...continued→
Posted November 29, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
Tomorrow night is the final of four hearings being held by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (details here and below) on its most recent proposal to allow new fracking across major parts of the state. This is NYC residents’...continued→
Posted November 23, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Water deliveries to Dimock residents, like the truck delivery shown here, may be cut off less than a week after Thanksgiving It’s been over a year since my last post on Dimock, PA, highlighting former Secretary of the...continued→
Posted November 21, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
Good news! On Friday, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) cancelled its scheduled vote to approve new rules governing fracking in the Delaware River Basin – effectively ensuring that this exceptional watershed will remain off-limits to this risky industrial practice...continued→
Posted August 12, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
Next week will mark the first meeting of the advisory panel appointed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to provide input on several matters of primary importance if the state decides to move forward with a program...continued→
Posted July 11, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
Last Friday, Governor Cuomo’s Department of Environmental Conservation released its as-yet-incomplete revised draft environmental review on proposed new fracking (the so-called “Preliminary Revised Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement” or “revised DSGEIS”). As I blogged a little over a week...continued→
Posted June 30, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
Rumors have been swirling today that New York is lifting its moratorium on new fracking in the Marcellus Shale. Here’s the reality: the de facto moratorium that has been in place since the summer of 2008 remains intact. And in...continued→
Posted June 27, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
In the New York Times’ ongoing “Drilling Down” series, which has been providing groundbreaking coverage of the potential dangers of industrial gas drilling, three articles appeared in the past two days that call into question the industry’s economic forecasting of...continued→
Posted June 17, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
Yesterday afternoon, the NYS Assembly passed first-of-its-kind in the nation legislation to close a gaping loophole in state law favoring the oil and gas industry. The bill - sponsored by Assembly Environmental Conservation Chair Robert Sweeney - would remove an...continued→
Posted June 8, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
“I love my New York water.” That’s what a group of New York-based actors are saying in a new video that aims to keep the state’s drinking water safe from the dangers of fracking. NRDC, with a coalition of environmental...continued→
Posted May 31, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
Today NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued the federal government for its failure to evaluate the environmental and health risks of new fracking in the critical Delaware River Basin. We applaud the Attorney General’s bold action and urge the Delaware...continued→
Posted May 26, 2011 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution
As summer quickly approaches, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from concerned New Yorkers and the media about what happens with fracking in New York on June 1 (or July 1). There’s a misconception floating around that one of...continued→
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