A bill that would speed up the permitting process for new natural gas wells awaits Gov Paterson's signature, says The Journal News.  The bill would allow the state Department of Environmental Conservation to streamline the permitting process for new wells and would give it the power to set uniform standards of spacing between wells to conform to drilling new technology where explorers can drill horizontally as well as vertically. Without that change, the DEC would have to go through a permitting process for each of potentially thousands of drilling applications.Governor David A. Paterson

Paterson hasn't publicly stated his intentions for the bill, which the state Legislature passed last month, but insiders expect him to sign it.  Supporters say speeding up the permitting process would allow access to an estimated 500 trillion cubic feet, about 2 1/2 times what the country uses in a year.  Even if only one-tenth can be extracted, it would generate more than $500 billion in revenue, with a large portion remaining in depressed regions of the state and country. 

Critics like Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo D-Endwell, who voted against the measure, still have concerns.  "Without proper planning and consideration of environmental factors, any attempt to streamline the process is unwise," Lupardo said.  Lupardo isn't convinced that local governments have assessed impacts on air quality, roads and water supplies and feels DEC staffing may not be sufficient to monitor new projects.