Though water has taken a front seat in environmental concerns with Marcellus drilling, developing shale gas in New York will pose a number of other environmental risks, including compromised air quality, natural habitat fragmentation, soil erosion, non-water waste disposal, and increased noise. Many of these issues are not unique to high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing, but common to all drilling and most industrial processes. Air quality degradation, disposal of
solid waste from drilling, erosion, harm to stream ecosystems, habitat fragmentation, introduction or expansion of invasive species and noise disturbance are all potential impacts of Marcellus Shale drilling.