Simply requiring a permit before a driveway is built onto a public road is one of many recommended actions Schuyler County municipalities could take to lessen the impact of natural gas drilling.

"The permit could be the trigger to tell us about a planned well," said Jerry Verrigni, district manager for the Schuyler County Soil and Water Conservation District, at a meeting of the county's Council of Governments on Wednesday night.

Verrigni was one of the speakers reporting on the work of four subcommittees of the county's Ad-Hoc Energy Task Force, which was organized in October by the Council of Governments.

The council includes representatives of most towns and villages in Schuyler County and the county legislature.

The purpose of the task force and its subcommittees is to study the possible impacts of natural gas drilling and other energy production projects.

"We need to be prepared for this and deal with it with continuity and collaboration," County Administrator Timothy O'Hearn said.

The subcommittees studied potential economic, social and environmental impacts, as well as the possible impact to public safety, public health, roads and infrastructure.