Matt Richmond, WSKG

Among the arguments against hydrofracking in New York State and across the U.S. is that drillers will be taking the gas from New York and elsewhere and exporting it to countries like China and India, throwing a giant wrench in the argument that fracking is the path to energy independence.

But it's not clear that much gas will be exported.

Department of Energy approval is required before gas can be sent to countries where the U.S. does not have a free trade agreement. With the price of natural gas at around $3.00 in the U.S., the debate is raging over whether gas companies should be able to export their product.

In March, the Environmental Working Group submitted a Freedom of Information Law for more than a year's worth of correspondence between the Department of Environmental Conservation, the governor's office and industry representatives.

The Washington, D.C.-based group, which specializes in the use of freedom of information requests, issued a report in June on the cooperation between the DEC and industry prior to the release of the final draft environmental review of hydraulic fracturing.

On Monday, the EWG filed a lawsuit against the DEC and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, accusing it of withholding many of the documents requested in March that it says detail excessive collusion.

You can hear the full version of the documentary "Deposit at the Crossroads"  here or download the audio for personal or research purposes from our soundcloud page.* 

All signs point to fracking coming to New York eventually, and when it comes, it'll start in the Southern Tier. That's what we've gotten from Albany so far.

The big open question is when.

While the majority of us would be very happy to see out the summer without flies ruining our outdoor dining experience, one particular species of fly has provided the inspiration for a potential breakthrough in the technology of hearing aids. It's not just any old house-fly we're talking about, though.

Binghamton University engineering professor Ron Miles says this particular fly, called the ormia ochracea, is special because it’s as good as a human at locating the source of a sound.

“The female fly, when she’s pregnant and needs to have her babies, she listens for crickets to sing," says Miles. "And when she hears the cricket, she’ll fly to the cricket and have her babies and these maggots then burrow into the cricket and a few days later, they’ll emerge and leave a hollow shell.”

So the fly’s behavior isn’t pretty. The way most animals locate sound doesn’t work for ormia ochracea, and it's useful to know how this tiny parasite can locate its host.

Good morning and welcome to your Monday morning trail mix.

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