NORWICH – Representatives from the two major landowner groups in Chenango County told New York’s environmental regulating agency that hydrofracking into the natural gas rich Marcellus Shale could be performed “safely and in an environmentally secure way” and should be allowed to proceed.

Bryant Latourette, chairman of the Oxford Land Group, said members of coalitions have become increasingly frustrated by those who are opposed to the possibility of any type of natural gas exploration.

“While natural gas exploration has been conducted safely in New York for decades, the public has been misinformed repeatedly by extremists/obstructionist groups whose agenda is only to kill new investments in some of the state’s most economically deprived regions,” he said.

Latourette’s comments were among hundreds received since Sept. 30 when the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released its 800-page environmental impact statement and began seeking public input. The fifth and final public hearing concluded two weeks ago, and less than five weeks remain for sending out comments by mail, e-mail and online.

Charles Rowe, representing the Central New York Landowners Coalition, said his group was united in favor of safe drilling for natural gas with strong oversight from the DEC. A fourth generation dairy farmer, Rowe said the environment is “very dear to us” and without land and water “we are nothing.”

“Let’s not have any more delays and get this (the regulations) done so New York State will be one of the top places for safe drilling in the world today and for many years to come.”

Rowe called upon the DEC to raise the lowest royalty payments from 12 percent to 25 percent or more in order to afford more state regulators on site to monitor drilling practices.

The DEC will deliberate and respond to comments received, and quite possibly clear the way for permits to be issued, perhaps as early as 2010. However, the comment period was already extended from Nov. 30 to Dec. 31, and could be again. Moreover, opponents, particularly those from downstate who fear their water resources could become contaminated by spills and accidents, could pose legal challenges that would further slow or even block the process.