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Fracking Moratorium Still Holding/Pushing HARD for DOH Review Public Participation
Too busy for words? Use this Quick Action Guide: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/alerts/2012/12/20/take-action
Happy Holiday Greetings To One and All!!!
First and foremost, I want to underscore once again that not a single shale gas well has ever been fracked in New York. Despite four and a half years of overwhelming pressure from the biggest corporations on the planet, that citizen achievement stands in stark contrast to the rest of our nation's long, regrettable history of extraction mining pollution.
Check out our recent press coverage: http://toxicstargeting.com/news/marcellus-shale-press-coverage
Second, I am humbled by all those who have offered to provide financial support. I am totally dependent on the "kindness of strangers" to do public policy work. Please help if you can. On your behalf, my colleagues and I will do our best to safeguard New York from shale gas fracking hazards. Thank you for your consideration.
Third, I am extraordinarily pleased to let you know that your focused advocacy efforts in the last week played a critical role in persuading some of the largest regional, statewide and national environmental groups to take a much stronger stand against the DOH's totally secret, ludicrously inadequate Review/Assessment" of DEC's "health impact analysis."
Without saying more than necessary, major environmental and good government groups just submitted a request for full public participation, public comment and a public hearing of the DOH's Review/Assessment. The key thing is that they did not request a comment period for DOH's Final Review/Assessment. Commenting after the bogus Review/Assessment was finished would have been too late to make sure that it is comprehensive in scope and properly undertaken.
Many thanks to all the groups who signed the letter. I especially thank Katherine Nadeau of Environmental Advocates for her patience and willingness to listen to concerns. I also thank Kate Sinding and her colleagues at NRDC for being open to proposed revisions submitted in good faith.
You can read the submitted letter: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/node/37395
You can read the original draft letter: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/node/37363
THE WHOLE POINT OF OUR EFFORT IS TO PREVENT COMPLETION OF A MERE 25-HOUR DOH REVIEW/ASSESSMENT CONDUCTED IN TOTAL SECRECY WITH ZERO PUBLIC INPUT.
IF THE DOH REVIEW/ASSESSMENT IS COMPLETED, A FINAL SGEIS CAN BE ADOPTED.
THAT COULD ALLOW DEC's REVISED RULEMAKING PROCEEDING TO BE FINISHED BY 2/27/13.
WE NOW HAVE TO PERSUADE GOVERNOR CUOMO TO REQUIRE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FOR THE DOH REVIEW/ASSESSMENT. THIS IS THE MAIN TASK AT HAND.
CALL AND EMAIL LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW. DO NOT STOP UNTIL YOU DROP.
MAKE SURE THAT THE DOH REVIEW/ASSESSMENT IS DELAYED, SCRAPPED OR SENT BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD FOR EXTENDED COMMENTS.
I. Please use this simple self-explanatory letter to require Governor Cuomo to rectify the total lack of public participation in the DOH Review proceeding.
See formatted version of the letter below: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/node/37327
Email Governor Cuomo: http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php
Call Governor Cuomo:
Albany: 518-474-8390
New York City: 212-681-4580
Binghamton: 607-721-8367
Twitter the Governor: @NYGovCuomo
Facebook him: https://www.facebook.com/GovernorAndrewCuomo?sk=wall
Governor of New York
The State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
Dear Governor Cuomo:
Your New York State Department of Health and three outside experts are conducting a Review/Assessment of the Marcellus Shale fracking "health impact analysis" conducted by the Department of Environmental Conservation as part of its Revised Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS).
That Review/Assessment is being conducted in secrecy without any public participation whatsoever. That is shockingly improper and an affront to open and transparent government decision-making.
I respectfully request that you require:
a) immediate public notice of the intent and scope of DEC's "health impact analysis" and DOH's Review/Assessment;
b) a 30-day minimum immediate public comment period;
c) at least one public hearing to require the reviewers to hear testimony from interested parties; and
d) a restart of the SGEIS proceeding to allow public comment about how best to resolve all the concerns documented about DEC's "health impact analysis" and DOH's inadequate Review/Assessment.
The DOH Review/Assessment is critically important because no final decision will be made about permitting shale gas fracturing in New York until it is completed. That is why it is imperative that DOH's Review/Assessment be comprehensive in scope and properly undertaken. Until the DOH Review is finished, no Final SGEIS will be adopted and no shale gas revised rulemaking will be finalized.
Add here anything else your heart desires:
Very truly yours,
________
Please sign the New Coalition Letter requiring public input to the DOH Review/Assessment: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/letters/2012/11/28/cuomo
Thanks so much for your help. Go hard. Keep slugging.
See you at State of the State in Albany on 1/9/13.
Very best regards,
Walter
DEC’s Unplugged Abandoned Wells Database & Overview Map
Marcellus Shale Interactive Map
