See Urgent Quick Action Guide: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/alerts/2013/01/10/quick-ac...
Greetings,
I want to thank everyone who heeded the call yesterday and showed up at an unprecedented State-of-the-State Rally. There were probably 1,500 to 2,000 of us. We totally dwarfed the pro-frackers.
I was inspired to see Pete Seeger, one of my heroes. I happened to be chatting to a very nice woman who turned out to be Deborah Winger. Duh. I also learned that Natalie Merchant is from Jamestown, NY, near where the Ferrugia family reportedly has not been able to drink their water for more than five years due to nearby gas drilling hazards.
The video and pics will blow your mind:
http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/news/2013-01-09/fracking-n... and
http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/photos/130109/albany
As I said to Jason Weinstein of Binghamton Fox 40 TV, the rally was an "unmistakeable message to the Governor: 'Don't go forward with fracking.'"
See: http://www.wicz.com/news/video.asp?video=1-9-13frack.flv&zone=News
Even though we have really cranked up the pressure, Governor Cuomo still refuses to require public participation for the DOH Review of the "health impact analysis" conducted by DEC. As a result, DEC remains on-track to make a final decision whether to permit Marcellus Shale gas fracking in New York by 2/27/13.
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.
1. Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton is circulating a colleague sign-on letter to Assembly and State Senate representatives which makes that critical request.
See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/lifton_signon_20...
Assembly Members: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
State Senators: http://www.nysenate.gov/senators
2. A total of 125 government officials have signed a coalition letter requiring public participation for the DOH Review: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/cuomo/gov-coalition-letter...
3. Three key Assembly Leaders (Sweeney, Gottfried and Lavine) wrote to Commissioner Martens and Shah about this travesty: http://toxicstargeting.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/Assembly-Fracking-jo...
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 and Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan for their courageous leadership:
LIFTONB@ASSEMBLY.STATE.NY.US
mryan@cityofbinghamton.com
SWEENEYR@ASSEMBLY.STATE.NY.US
GOTTFRIEDR@ASSEMBLY.STATE.NY.US
LAVINEC@ASSEMBLY.STATE.NY.US
Onward and upward. Thank you so much.
Best,
Walter