Radio Smart Talk: What NY is learning from gas drilling in PA; new director of Susquehanna Art Museum

Radio Smart Talk for Friday, March 1:

No natural gas wells have been drilled using horizontal hydraulic fracking in New York state for the past five years. That’s even though the Marcellus Shale runs into the southern and central areas of the state and reaches as far north as Buffalo and Syracuse. For the past five years, New York has had a state-imposed moratorium on widespread gas drilling while research into the impact of fracking, including the health effects, is being conducted.

New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation didn’t release final regulations for fracking as scheduled this week because the state’s Health Department hasn’t finished a review of the possible health impacts.

While New York is waiting, Pennsylvania has aggressively pursued natural gas drilling.

On Friday’s Radio Smart Talk, we’ll introduce Marie Cusick, witf‘s new StateImpact Pennsylvania reporter, who will describe what New York has observed from gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

StateImpact Pennsylvania is a cooperative effort between witf, WHYY in Philadelphia, and NPR, focusing on energy issues in Pennsylvania.

Also, Dr. Laurene Buckley is the new Executive Director of the Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg. We’ll meet Dr. Buckley on Friday’s program as well.

The Susquehanna Art Museum has plans to begin construction on a new location in downtown Harrisburg. In the meantime, the museum is working with the arts community, including an exhibit at the State Museum called Course and Discourse that involves seven regional colleges and universities and several of their art students and professors.

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