Urgent: Letter requesting that localities pass no pro-fracking resolutions

Greetings,

I recently wrote that activists must take immediate action to block pro-fracking resolutions or public policies from being adopted by local authorities in the five counties identified in a reported Marcellus Shale Fracking Demonstration Project: Chenango, Broome, Tioga, Chemung and Steuben.

I am pleased to provide for your use a form letter to make sure that localities "adopt no resolutions or public policies at this time supporting Marcellus Shale gas extraction." Just cut and paste the letter into your own email, fill in the blanks and send it off to all your local authorities.

Please Do Not Wait Even One Day To Do This. Get On It Right Away. Time is of the Essence.

As you know, The New York Times reported on 6/13/12 that: "Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration was pursuing a plan to limit fracking to portions of several struggling upstate New York counties along the border with Pennsylvania, and to permit it only in communities that express support for the technology (emphasis added)."

See: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/nyregion/hydrofracking-under-cuomo-pla...

While we do not know if The NYT article is true, we must make sure that no pro-fracking resolutions or polices are adopted to support shale gas franking. This is hugely important.

I am asking at least one resident of every Town, Village, City and County potentially involved in the reported Demonstration Project area to fill in the blanks in the form letter and email it ASAP to all their all local officials, such as City Councils, Town Boards, Village Trustees, County Legislators, Environmental Management Councils and relevant Advisory Committees.

Please let me know when you have done that. I will keep a public tally to avoid redundant efforts. Send me copies if you can.

As you will see in an Evening Sun article by Melissa deCordova, pro-frackers are already at work trying to persuade localities to adopt resolutions to support shale gas extraction. That will be much harder to achieve.

I DO NOT BELIEVE EVEN ONE PRO-FRACKING RESOLUTION HAS YET BEEN ADOPTED ANYWHERE IN THE REPORTED FIVE-COUNTY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AREA. IF WE ACT IMMEDIATELY, WE COULD FORESTALL ANY PRO-FRACKING RESOLUTIONS FROM BEING ADOPTED.

Thanks so much for your help.
Cheers,

Walter

Honorable _____
Mayor/Town Supervisor/Town Board Member/County Executive/Village Trustee/County Legislator/Environmental Management Council Member/Natural Gas Advisory Committee Member
Address

Dear _____:

My name is ______ and I live at _______________. I write today to request that the Town/City/Village/County of ____ adopt no resolutions or public policies at this time supporting Marcellus Shale gas extraction.

Since 2008, a shale gas fracking moratorium has been in effect in New York pending adoption of comprehensive environmental and health safeguards pursuant to a Final Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS).

Until a Final SGEIS is adopted, I believe that it would be premature and entirely inappropriate for the Town/City/Village/County of ____________ to adopt any pro-fracking policies.

Executive Order No. 41

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released a Draft SGEIS in the fall of 2009, but Governor Paterson deemed the proposal to be inadequate and incomplete.

In December 2010, he signed Executive Order No. 41 which requires DEC to analyze shale gas fracking's environmental impacts "comprehensively" and to make "revisions" the draft SGEIS to comply with applicable legal requirements.

Upon taking office, Governor Cuomo immediately signed a "continuation" of Executive Order No. 41. As a result, DEC issued a Revised Draft SGEIS in September 2011 and is currently reviewing approximately 67,000 public comments regarding that proposal.

Documented Shortcomings of DEC's SGEIS Proposals

DEC's Draft and Revised Draft SGEIS proposals have received intense criticism from the elected officials, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, academic researchers, physicians, scientists, farmers, local businesses as well as concerned citizens across New York and in our own community.

Please review a detailed coalition letter with more than 22,000 signatories which requests that Governor Cuomo withdraw the Revised Draft SGEIS until 17 documented concerns have been fully resolved.

See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/cuomo/coalition_letter/2011

I also ask you to review a coalition letter with more than 2,700 signatories that opposes any Fracking "Demonstration Project" in the Southern Tier and requests strict enforcement of Executive Order No. 41.

See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/cuomo/coalition_letter/201...

Finally, you can review a bi-partisan letter co-signed by a total of 76 Assembly and State Senate representatives which requests that Governor Cuomo resolve six critical concern before permitting shale gas fracking.

See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/documents/letters/2012/06/...

Conclusion

For all these reasons, I request that the Town/City/Village/County of ___ adopt no resolutions or public policies at this time in support of Marcellus Shale gas extraction.

Shale gas extraction in New York is a highly complex issue that warrants careful and transparent public policy consideration. If the Town/City/Village/County of ____ ultimately addresses that matter, I request that all deliberations strictly comply with the New York State Open Meetings Law regarding public disclosure and participation.

See: http://www.dos.ny.gov/coog/openmeetlaw.html

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about my request. I can assure you that I am entirely open to your views. I look forward to receiving your prompt reply.

Thank you for your consideration and your public service.

Very truly yours,

_____

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