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No Drilling Near N.Y. Vineyards for Now Temporary hold on 'fracking' will allow more investigation of controversial extraction lbany, N.Y.—Vineyards need clean water for growing grapes; wineries need it for making good wine, and tourists are attracted to wine regions with beautiful vistas of lakes, streams and vineyards. In the past year, winemakers and grapegrowers in New York's Finger Lakes wine region have become increasingly aware that their water supply may be threatened by the impact of the natural gas-drilling process called high-volume hy- draulic fracturing, or fracking. Legislation introduced in the New York A State Assembly intended to limit natural gas development using the fracking process until additional studies could determine the impacts of drilling. The legislation, which - SIHA YEAST - Hunt Country Vineyards Aftek_Sept08.qxp 7/31/08 2:48 PM Page placed a moratorium on new permits for gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing until May 15, 2011, passed Nov. 29. On Dec. 11, former New York Gov. David Paterson, who supported drilling for its eco- nomic benefits in a state with fiscal problems, vetoed that legislation, and instead issued an executive order that instituted a moratorium until July 1, 2011—six weeks beyond the date specified by the legislation—but more narrowly defining the types of drilling to be restricted. The order restricts the issuing of permits for high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing, but exempts vertical wells. WineEast While environmental groups welcomed the longer moratorium, there is concern about po- tential loopholes. Craig Michaels, watershed program director for the environmental group Riverkeeper, stated that the environmental community would be "watching closely to assure that industry does not side-step envi- ronmental review by conducting an onslaught of vertical drilling and then converting those vertical wells to horizontal wells." Art Hunt, owner of 12,000-case Hunt Country Vineyards in Branchport, N.Y., and chairman of the Marcellus Shale Committee of the Keuka Lake Association, told Wine East that he understands lame-duck Gov. Paterson didn't want to halt all drilling. Hunt also pointed out that the Minerals De- partment of the Department of Environmental Conservation may not have sufficient staff to inspect gas-drilling sites for possible viola- tions by the drilling companies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is conducting a study of hydraulic fracking and its possible effects on ground water that is scheduled to be completed in 2012. —Linda Jones McKee winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keyword "fracking." "Paper or Plantra" The choice is yours! ® Paper Tube or "GROW" the whole vine! Paper Tube vs. Temporary (single-season?) spray cover, shorter height means more vine training trips. Opaque sidewall construction blocks sunlight vines need to optimize healthy, balanced growth. Plantra JumpStart® Grow Tubes Multi-season field life, spray protection, full tube height for one-trip vine training. Twin-walled for light diffusion and translucent to the specific sunlight vines need, JumpStart® Grow Tubes are packed with advanced greenhouse technology to stimulate the vine's own phytochrome to grow the whole vine from roots to shoots. Bigger, healthier vines for earlier, larger, and sustained harvests. Take the Plantra pledge and "Plant Like You Mean It!" Visit Plantra.com today to discover the impact phytochrome with JumpStart® Grow Tubes can have to get your next planting to Survive, Thrive, Succeed! www.plantra.com 800-951-3806 ©2011 Plantra, Inc. Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 2011 59 O AK ALTERNATIVES - BECOPAD - DECAN TERILE FILTRATION - WATER FILTRATIO T E R CENTRIFUGES - S N