Restaurant Industry Moves Against Gas Drilling - NYTimes.com

Restaurant industry opposition to the controversial gas-drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing is growing as increasing numbers of high-profile New York chefs, restaurateurs, food suppliers and industry executives have joined the effort to lobby Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the State Legislature and the State Department of Environmental Conservation to ban the process.

More than 90 kitchen celebrities and food-business leaders have publicly given their support to Chefs for the Marcellus, an anti-fracturing advocacy group named after the natural-gas-rich Marcellus Shale rock formation that runs under several states.

They include Joshua Applestone of Fleisher?s Grass-fed & Organic Meats; Mario Batali of Babbo; Jimmy Carbone of Jimmy?s No. 43; Cesare Casella of Salumeria Rosi; Shawn Gawle of Corton; Brooks Headley of Del Posto; Michael Laiskonis of Le Bernardin; Anita Lo of Annisa Restaurant; Patrick Martins of Heritage Foods USA; Zak Pelaccio of Fatty ?Cue; Alex Stupak of Empellon Taqueria, and Bill Telepan (above) of Telepan Restaurant.

?We?re trying to raise a voice against this, signing petitions and writing letters,? said Mr. Telepan, who said he had immersed himself in the fracking literature and was disturbed about the impact of the drilling process on farmers, livestock and people. ?This goes beyond affecting chefs, it could have a huge impact on those who live in upstate New York. The drinking water, and the land, and the food upstate will be affected ? and then all of us will be affected.?

An article in The New York Times on Thursday described a plan by Mr. Cuomo to limit drilling to the deepest areas of the Marcellus rock fomation, in an effort to reduce the risk of ground water contamination.

In fracturing, or fracking, large amounts of sand, water and chemicals are injected deep underground at high pressures to extract natural gas from rock formations. More than 100 communities in New York State have passed moratoriums or bans on fracking. But a few dozen communities have passed resolutions in favor of the drilling process, saying that it would be a boon to job-creation in economically distressed counties, and that the natural-gas leases would give much-needed financial support to many debt-burdened farmers struggling in a poor economy.

Mr. Telepan said that the Marcellus group did not favor limiting hydraulic fracking in the state, but banning it altogether, and that the organization was working to get more signatures on its Web site. It is also organizing a July fund-raiser to further publicize the dangers of fracking.

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