URGENT ACTION ALERT: Public Participation Battle for DOH Review Gets HUGE Boost/Signatories Needed for Assemblywoman Lifton's Legislator Sign-On Letter

Greetings,

All HANDS ON DECK. YOUR URGENT HELP IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW!!!

A truly impressive coalition of New York government officials is fighting tooth and nail to require public participation for the State Health Department's secret Review of DEC's Marcellus Shale "health impact analysis."

The future of Marcellus Shale gas extraction in New York could depend on the outcome of this battle.

First, a total of 118 government officials sent a coalition letter to Governor Cuomo which states:

"Until you have fulfilled our public participation requests, we ask that you:

a) Put on hold DOH’s “health impact analysis” Review/Assessment and

b) Make sure that DEC adopts neither a Final SGEIS nor a shale gas Revised Rulemaking proposal.

See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/cuomo/gov-coalition-letter...

Second, the Chairs of the Assembly Environmental Conservation (R. Sweeney) and Health (R. Gottfried) Committees as well as the Administrative Regulation Review Commission (C. Lavine) just sent an extremely important letter to Commissioners Martens and Shah about the DOH Review. The letter states:

"We call on the administration to suspend the public comment period for the proposed revised regulations of high volume hydraulic fracturing until the state discloses all of its studies and analyses of fracking, as has been demanded under the Freedom of Information Law, and a thorough health impact review is completed and published (emphasis added)."

See: http://toxicstargeting.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/Assembly-Fracking-jo...

Last, but certainly not least, Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton has circulated a colleague sign-on letter to Assembly and State Senate representatives which echoes these crucial requests.

See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/lifton_signon_20...

CALL AND ASK YOUR ASSEMBLY AND STATE SENATE REPRESENTATIVES TO SIGN ASSEMBLYWOMAN LIFTON'S LETTER. THE DEADLINE IS FRIDAY. WE NEED EVERY SIGNATORY THAT WE CAN GET!!!

Assembly Members: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

State Senators: http://www.nysenate.gov/senators

Conclusion

It is imperative that a DOH Review conducted completely in secret without any public input must not be used to support adoption of a Final SGEIS or DEC's shale gas Revised Rulemaking proposal. The DOH Review must be put on-hold until all its shortcomings have been resolved.

Please thank all the local government officials who signed the coalition letter and are helping in this matter.

Please thank Assembly members, Lifton, Sweeney, Gottfried and Lavine for their courageous leadership:

LIFTONB@ASSEMBLY.STATE.NY.US
SWEENEYR@ASSEMBLY.STATE.NY.US
GOTTFRIEDR@ASSEMBLY.STATE.NY.US
LAVINEC@ASSEMBLY.STATE.NY.US

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton has been an incredible leader in the fight to safeguard New York from fracking hazards. We cannot thank her enough, but we should try.

I wish to pay special homage to Environmental Conservation Chair, Robert Sweeney. He has provided exemplary leadership on Marcellus Shale concerns that is wholly in keeping with the Assembly's amazing history of environmental protection achievement.

I have worked with Environmental Conservation Committee chairs for 35 years, including: G. Oliver Koppell, Maurice Hinchey, Richard Brodsky, Thomas DiNapoli and Mr. Sweeney. It has been a privilege to know all of these environmental leaders.

See you TOMORROW (1/9/13) in Albany at the State of the State Address. New York's shale gas moratorium is on the line. Bring every sign you have got.

Onward and upward. Thank you so much.

Best,

Walter