We in Syracuse, apparently, are First Class Citizens, along with those living in New York City.  The rest of you living in . . . → Read More: An issue of justice]]> I don’t understand how our governor can push for marriage equality while determining that otherwise there are two classes of citizens in New York: those who get to drink safe water and those who don’t.

We in Syracuse, apparently, are First Class Citizens, along with those living in New York City.  The rest of you living in the Marcellus Shale area, too bad!  You’re Second Class and therefore not worthy of protection.

Cartoon from Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County

Hmm… if protection is needed for two aquifers, then that’s admitting that all the other aquifers in the Marcellus Shale area are potentially unsafe. And therefore that the practice of hydrofracking is unsafe.

So who is benefiting from hydrofracking?  Must be the ones who are going to make the money who don’t live within the Marcellus Shale area. Looks like folks in Albany. Of course. And a few out-of-towners who brought this nightmare to us.

Take action! (Scroll down to the bottom.)

Here’s an update from Walter Hang of toxicstargeting.com:

Greetings,

It was revealed today that Governor Cuomo proposes to allow Marcellus Shale horizontal hydrofracturing to proceed in New York with the exception of the New York City and Syracuse watersheds, State lands and primary aquifers.  See: http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/75403.html

His proposal is clearly an admission that Marcellus Shale horizontal hydrofracturing is inherently unsafe no matter what safeguards DEC might adopt in its revised draft SGEIS.  Otherwise, the Governor would not propose to ban the practice in selected areas.

The Governor’s proposal would break his campaign promise that “existing watersheds are sacrosanct and Andrew Cuomo would not support any drilling that would threaten the State’s major sources of drinking water.”

As you will see from the map below, major sources of drinking water comprise 75% of the Marcellus Shale formation.  Tens of thousands of New Yorkers drink unfiltered water from private and public wells as well as surface waters throughout that area.  Those residents deserve the same protection proposed for residents of New York City and Syracuse.

See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/documents/map/watershed

and http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/documents/cuomo-statement-marcellus-shale

Any DEC regulatory plan that fails to provide equal protection for all New Yorkers must be rejected as totally unacceptable.  We have at least three months to try to kill the Governor’s fundamentally unfair plan.

The revised draft SGEIS will not be posted for public review until 7/8/11.  The public comment period will reportedly begin sometime in August and will last 60 days.

Please note that Governor Cuomo’s proposal cannot be implemented until a FINAL SGEIS is adopted. That should still be a long time in coming. With luck, at least a year from now.

Finally, the Governor’s proposal calls into question the integrity of his efforts to revise the draft SGEIS pursuant to Executive Order No. 41 since he has already decided to allow Marcellus Shale horizontal hydrofracturing to proceed no matter how inadequate the revised draft SGEIS might be.

Take action:

Call Governor Cuomo ASAP at 518-474-8390.

Email the Governor at http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php

A. Demand Equal Environmental Protection for All New Yorkers From Marcellus Shale Horizontal Hydrofracturing.

B. If Marcellus Shale Hydrofracturing cannot be done safely in New York City and Syracuse watersheds, state lands and over primary aquifers, it obviously cannot be done safely anywhere in New York.

C. Send the draft SGEIS back to the drawing board for yet another do-over.

The chips are down.  We have at least three months to thwart Governor Cuomo’s inadequate and unfair proposal.

Best,
Walter

Facebook: http://toxicstargeting.com/facebook

Twitter: http://toxicstargeting.com/twitter

Tuesday, March 22, 5:30 – 6:15 pm Thornden Park Water Tower (all the way up to the top . . . → Read More: If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it]]> One of the most riveting speeches I have ever heard, and only 6 minutes long. Given by a 12-year-old at the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Brazil. Please watch this:

Now please put a 1-hour break from life on your calendar:

Tuesday, March 22, 5:30 – 6:15 pm
Thornden Park Water Tower (all the way up to the top of the hill) MAP
Rally to Protect New York State From Frack Waste

Dave and I will be there. Will you?

Lifton Calls For Public . . . → Read More: Lifton Calls For Public Hearing on Hydrofracking]]> Radioactivity in the air or in the water is something neither we nor the Japanese ever thought we’d have to face. Nuclear reactors in earthquake zones suddenly don’t make sense. Did hydro-fracking ever make sense? Your presence at Tuesday’s rally will make a difference (see below). Please read the following (bolding mine):

Lifton Calls For Public Hearing on Hydrofracking
and Release of DEC Documents

For Immediate Release
Date: March 2, 2011
Contact: Barbara Lifton (518) 455-5444

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WF- 125th AD) today has called for a public hearing and for the release of all documents exchanged between NYS DEC and the federal EPA on High-volume Hydrofracking (HVHF) from 2007, when concerns were first raised about HVHF in New York, through the current SGEIS process. Lifton said these actions are warranted based on new reporting by The New York Times on the issue of HVHF, its impact on drinking water in Pennsylvania, especially, and the disposal of flowback water in New York.

“The investigation done by New York Times raises fresh alarm about the issues I and many others have raised regarding the nature of the flowback wastewater from hydrofracking, its treatment and disposal, and the potential danger to public health,” said Lifton.

“We need to stop and ask questions about the EPA and industry research that highlights the inability of wastewater treatment plants to adequately process flowback from hydrofracking, and about whether the EPA adequately shared the results of their 2009 investigation of the Monongahela River disaster which resulted in Pittsburgh’s 850,000 residents having to drink bottled water, described by the EPA as ‘one of the largest failures in U.S. history to supply clean drinking water to the public,’” Lifton continued. Lifton said the issue of elevated levels of radioactivity of the flowback wastewater is one of many critical areas that needs immediate attention, as the EPA found that, even after treatment, discharged wastewater with dangerous levels of radiation contamination posed a great risk to drinking water.

“We must not allow for the contamination of NY’s critical fresh water resources. Gathering information to fully understand the risks of hydrofracking is critical in crafting the best public policy in New York, if, indeed, drilling is allowed to occur. We simply cannot allow the kind of disasters that have happened in Pennsylvania and elsewhere to happen here in New York State. The health of all New Yorkers hangs in the balance,” Lifton emphasized.

The Syracuse March 22, 2011 Rally to Protect NYS from Radioactive Fracking Waste is part of a statewide movement.

Rally to Protect NYS from Radioactive Fracking Waste

Tuesday, March 22nd
5:30 – 6:15 pm
Thornden Park Water Tower

Thornden Park, off of Beech St. and Ostrom, near SU
Call 470-0778

Call for clean, safe water, air and food

No to Hydro-Fracking
No to radioactive and hazardous waste which is freely released, untracked and unmonitored
Yes to conservation and truly sustainable energy policy and production

New York Times N.Y. Senate Approves Fracking Moratorium

Over two thirds of our Senators, including 28 Democrats and 20 Republicans, voted . . . → Read More: NYS Senate votes to ban fracking for 1 year]]> A huge step in the right direction was taken last night by the New York State Senate when they voted to put a moratorium on hydro-fracking for one year so that there might be time for further study.

New York Times
N.Y. Senate Approves Fracking Moratorium

Over two thirds of our Senators, including 28 Democrats and 20 Republicans, voted to pass a bill placing a one-year moratorium on “hydro-fracking” — banning this controversial method of gas drilling while experts study the risks it poses to the purity and safety of our drinking water. These leaders bravely defied the threats of the drilling lobby and stood up for the health of all New Yorkers. They genuinely deserve our thanks.  – Working Families Party

Syracuse Post-Standard
Report on Pennsylvania natural gas drilling tallies 1,400 violations

“The issue of hydrofracking has become one of the most talked about issues in Upstate New York. I believe we should take a cautious, deliberate approach as we decide how to proceed as a state,” State Senator David J. Valesky (D-Oneida) and vice president pro tempore of the Senate, said in a news release today. “I voted in favor of a moratorium on hydrofracking because it will provide us with the opportunity to carefully weigh the potential risks to the environment against the potential economic benefits, to learn from other states, and to make an informed decision on the issue.” – CNY Business Journal

Philadelphia Inquirer
Avoiding America’s next drilling disaster

Our work isn’t done yet!

The State Assembly still has to pass this, in September. We must not let up on the pressure, not one bit.  Toward that end, please join my never-joins-anything husband Dave at the rally tomorrow:

SAY NO TO HYDRO-FRACKING

Thursday  August 12, 2010

5:30-6:00 pm

Gather in front of Syracuse City Hall

Walk (scooter, bike, skateboard) around the State Office Building

Bring Signs

More information here

Why will I fail to act? Because disaster this preposterous just can’t happen in my back yard. I can’t believe it. I can’t wrap my mind around it.

Right. Tell that to . . . → Read More: Fracking in my back yard]]> NIMBY: Not In My Back Yard.  But fracking already is in the back yard: Pennsylvania. Soon to be in New York if we do not act.

Why will I fail to act? Because disaster this preposterous just can’t happen in my back yard. I can’t believe it. I can’t wrap my mind around it.

Right. Tell that to anyone living on the Gulf Coast.

I received this today and reproduce it here verbatim, bolding mine:

“Tap water set on fire… 50-foot-high flare expected to continue burning for three or four more days…Twenty-eight cattle quarantined…Drinking water turned brown.”

These are just a few of the news items hitting headlines in the last month, from Pennsylvania to Texas, and they’re all related to an increasingly-used destructive practice called hydraulic fracturing. Can you ask your representative to protect drinking water, communities and the environment by passing the FRAC Act?

We’ve seen scores of documented cases of drinking water contamination near natural gas drilling sites, likely from the toxic mixture they inject into the ground for hydraulic fracturing. Due to a legislative loophole, we can’t even hold these energy companies accountable under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and they don’t have to disclose the 596 chemicals that may be contaminating our water. Fortunately, there is a bill in congress that could close the loophole and require companies to disclose the chemicals they are using. Send your representatives an email asking them to support the FRAC Act today!

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a drilling technique used to extract natural gas from shales and tight rocks by shooting millions of gallons of a mixture of water, chemicals and sand into the ground. As the rock cracks and creates fissures, natural gas flows more freely out of the well. Unfortunately, some of the toxic fluids remain underground after extraction and can seep into groundwater. Contamination of groundwater can affect the quality of drinking water even hundreds of miles away. Ask your representatives to protect groundwater from dangerous toxins.

Send a message to your representative today.
http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4317

Thanks for taking action,

Meredith Begin
Education & Outreach Organizer
Food & Water Watch
mbegin(at)fwwatch(dot)org

There’s no doubt about our need for them, but we’ll believe even known liars if they just whisper “jobs!” in our hopeful ears.

Remember all the jobs that were supposed to be produced at the Mistake . . . → Read More: Hydrofracking = dangerous jobs]]> There’s one way to get upstate New Yorkers to turn off all reasoning ability: just say the four-letter word: JOBS

There’s no doubt about our need for them, but we’ll believe even known liars if they just whisper “jobs!” in our hopeful ears.

Remember all the jobs that were supposed to be produced at the Mistake on the Lake?  Used to be called Destiny, then it was just a mall expansion, and then Mr. Congel’s bank figured out they were going to lose a lot of money. Banks are in the business of knowing what’s a good deal or not. But I’d bet there are still people out there who believe that “Destiny” is destined to rescue jobless Central New Yorkers.  Oh, please.

So here’s the siren song again: JOBS! …in one of the most dangerous businesses there is: gas and oil. Never mind the environmental catastrophe hydrofracking is, never mind the loss of our clean drinking water, our clean air, our natural resources that all enjoy and that attract tourism. Are these fracking jobs really a boon? Just ask the people who are defending those who have suffered unimaginable loss trying to earn a living in gas and oil:

Oil and Gas Accidents

People employed in the oil and gas industry are subject to some of the most hazardous industrial conditions in the US. Serious injuries occur to even the most experienced oil and gas workers and the severity and duration of injuries, with recovery times that are nearly twice as long, are far worse than in other industry sectors.

Nearly half of all fatal injuries were attributed to highway motor-vehicle crashes and workers being struck by machinery or equipment. Gas explosion injuries, fires, chemical burns and dangerous falls or falling objects or equipment– workers are often hit on the head or back by tools or equipment—are just a few of the dangers occurring on a regular basis in the oil and gas industry.

The oil and gas extraction industry employed about 380,000 workers in 2006 and employment is growing. However, increases in oil and gas activity correlate with an increase in the rate of fatal occupational injuries, particularly when inexperienced workers are not sufficiently trained in safety and precautionary measures.

Hydrofracking promises 20 years’ supply of natural gas.

What we’ll get is the destruction of our water supplies, the poisoning of our agricultural and recreational land and, as a result, a drop in the tourism dollars that come here because it’s clean and beautiful in upstate New York.

When that 20 years is up, WHAT WILL WE HAVE LEFT???

A writer in Cooperstown’s Freemason’s Journal has said it very well:

Ask the mayor of Dish, Texas, folks in Dimmock, Pa., or other places where gas drilling problems are documented. Discuss alternatives to fossil fuels and ban gas drilling. Gas companies are temporary, but cancer is permanent.

MAUREEN CULBERT
East Springfield

SIGN THE PETITION
BAN NATURAL GAS DRILLING IN NEW YORK STATE

Think this (below) can’t happen to us?

If not, what are you thinking?

CAN YOU DO THIS WITH YOUR TAP WATER? from JOSHFOX on Vimeo.

Upcoming events

How green was their valley…

He was . . . → Read More: Natural gas: not clean, not the answer]]> When my son used to “clean” the kitchen, what was left behind gave me more work, not less. The dishes had to be re-washed. The sponge would be full of junk. The stove had cleanser spilled in unreachable spots. The floor was wet in spots and he would have tracked his dirty shoes through it.

He was eager to tell me, “Mom, I cleaned the kitchen, can I go now?” but I knew better. What he said was not true and I was going to be left with a real job.

This is what we have with the hydrofracking process that threatens to remove “clean” natural gas from the earth in a most unnatural way. It brings to our surface water and our air hundreds of chemicals to contaminate the only natural resources we have of value in upstate New York: clean water, clean countryside and clean air.

We’re going to have an unimaginably large job on our hands if we allow this to to happen to our land. Remember when our parents thought it was fine to dump waste into Onondaga Lake?  Do we want to leave this kind of mess to our kids?

We don’t have a seaside, we don’t have a big desirable city (check the real estate values if you disagree on that last part), we don’t have anything but the one thing New York State has been seriously developing lately: our beautiful and historic towns, parks and byways. Frack the land and frack the water and we have NOTHING LEFT. People, our other natural resource, will continue to leave. We already know what a problem that is.

Cornell may be full of those annoying academic types, but heck, there are a few really smart people who just may be good at research. They have put a moratorium on hydrofracking on their land. Would it not be a good idea to find out why before we allow it to start anywhere else in New York State?

Action step:

Attend the Citizen’s Community Forum on Hydrofracking.
Wednesday February 10, 2010 at 7pm
Nottingham High School, 3100 E Genesee St, Syracuse, NY