Unbelievably Great Response to the Hydrofracturing Panel Pledge Drive

Greetings,

I am very pleased to report that more than 500 de facto moratorium pledge emails were sent in less than one day to members of the DEC Hydrofracturing Advisory Panel. Thank you so much for your help. Pour it on.

"The pen is mightier than the sword." Check out some of the informed and eloquent missives: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/node/30684

Stalwart local activists also met Advisory Panel Members Assemblywoman Lupardo and State Senator Libous at 7:30 AM this morning in the area where a horizontal hydrofracturing "Demonstration Project" alternative could be implemented. Press coverage to follow.

Many thanks to NYRAD's Elaine, Eyana Rose and Ben Perkus, Rema Loeb, Bram Loeb, Kim Michaels, Gerri Wiley, Wes Ernsberger, Eddie Rodriguez, Len Bjorkman and Tim Krein. Their incredibly dedicated grassroots work should be saluted. http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/photos/2012/02/03/adv-panel

Environmental groups on the Advisory Panel have expressed grave concerns about the Revised Draft SGEIS. The de facto moratorium pledge simply helps make sure that inadequate compromises are not accepted.

It is not enough to ask the Panel members to sign the Withdraw the Revised Draft SGEIS coalition letter and the de facto moratorium pledge. It is imperative to persuade them to do so. If they refuse, they must be held accountable.

I invite you to call Advisory Panel members to make your case. Please be respectful and maintain civility. See contact info: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/node/30652

At least one Panel member clearly does not understand the role of the Advisory Panel. The members are charged with much more than to "deal with the resources necessary for implementation of the regs in a safe and appropriate manner."

Here is the Panel's mandate: "New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens today announced the members of the High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Advisory Panel that will be charged with:

• developing recommendations to ensure DEC and other agencies are enabled to properly oversee, monitor and enforce high-volume hydraulic fracturing activities;
• developing recommendations to avoid and mitigate impacts to local governments and communities (emphasis added); and
• evaluating the current fee structure and other revenue streams to fund government oversight and infrastructure related to high-volume hydraulic fracturing."

See: http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/75416.html

As you probably heard, President Obama promoted shale gas in his State-of-the-Union Address. See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/node/30632

Federal agencies do not issue any gas drilling permits in New York. Only DEC has that authority. I implore you to stay focused on Governor Cuomo and the Advisory Panel.

You can listen to a podcast that spells out our current situation: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/news/2012-01-24/hydrofrack...

Finally, it was just disclosed that Sierra Club reportedly accepted $25 million from natural gas firms. Thank you, Russell Mohkiber, for bringing this matter to light. See: http://corporatecrimereporter.com/chesapeake02022012.htm and http://corporatecrimereporter.com/lisawright02032012.htm

I have known Russell for more than 30 years. Armand Hammer, the head of Occidental Petroleum, once called Russell a "moral syphilitic" after he fought to require the toxic clean up of his hometown of Niagara Falls, the infamous home of the Love Canal, polluted by Hooker Chemical, an Occidental's subsidiary. Russell's cousin, Ralph Nader, says activists measure their success by counting their enemies. I concur.

I urge activists to support Russell's heroic work with a financial contribution. Please help his good work if you can.

Twenty five millions bucks might seem staggeringly huge, but several of the environmental groups on the Advisory Board have vastly larger annual budgets. Check their web sites.

For all these reasons, I implore you to keep pushing the de facto Moratorium Pledge and the Withdraw the Revised Draft SGEIS Coalition Letter. Smile and dial. Don't take "no" for an answer.

Best,

Walter

See formatted version of the 2/2/12 Hydrofracturing Advisory Panel alert: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/alerts/2012/02/02/advisory...