Fruits of Amazing and Unrelenting Hard Work/New York's Shale Fracking Moratorium Enters Sixth Year/Unprecedented Shale Fracking Opposition Documented in New Siena Poll

Use this Quick Action Guide to crank up the heat on Governor Cuomo and the members of the Fracking Advisory Panel to halt the fatally flawed, secret DOH Review: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/alerts/2013/08/07/quick-ac...

Greetings,

I write to thank you all so much for your amazing, unrelenting hard work to make sure that Governor Cuomo could not green-light Marcellus Shale fracking during the dog days of August.

Our intensely focused campaign has been instrumental in extending New York's unprecedented shale fracking moratorium into an unbelievable SIXTH YEAR. I salute everyone who supported that strategy. Wow. Congrats.

BUT NO LET-UP!!! We are not out of the woods by any means.

New York's Shale Fracking Moratorium Holds Rock-Steady Due to Laser-Focused Campaign

Our highly disciplined and coordinated campaign has proven astonishingly effective. Not one shale gas production well has ever been fracked in New York because our broad coalition has been laser-focused on preventing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) from adopting a woefully inadequate Final Draft SGEIS (Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement).

For more than a year, we similarly prevented the Department of Health (DOH) from completing a fatally flawed "review" of DEC's Final Draft SGEIS. We documented the proceeding's numerous inadequacies and organized massive opposition to its total lack of public participation.

NEW YORK'S SHALE GAS MORATORIUM REMAINS IN FULL FORCE UNTIL BOTH OF THESE PROCEEDINGS ARE COMPLETED.

Our goal is to maintain New York's moratorium until DOH completes an open and transparent shale fracking "Public Health Impact Study" and DEC adopts comprehensive pollution liability safeguards pursuant to a Final SGEIS. Please note that DEC's 1992 GEIS took 12 years to finish.

Model for the Nation

Your amazing efforts prove that data research combined with well-coached citizen activists working with dedicated elected officials and tough-minded grassroots groups can shape key political decisions despite the mightiest of environmental foes. That achievement is worthy of the highest praise and would have huge implications if replicated in other states where fracking is proposed or underway.

Fracking has spread to more than half the states in the nation where Big Green groups and local activists failed to stem the rising tide of shale gas and oil extraction. According to a recent column in The New York Times, natural gas production has increased one-third since 2005. It is predicted to increase even more in years to come. We are likely at the point of no return.

Historic Obama Binghamton Rally Even Better in Hindsight

Against that background, President Obama's historic 8/23/13 visit to Binghamton is still causing political reverberations all over New York and from coast-to-coast. That gig could hardly have gone better from my biased perspective. See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/videos/2013/08/23/walter-h...

For more than a week, we focused intense national attention on: a) New York's landmark shale fracking moratorium, b) Governor Cuomo's deplorable secret DOH Review and c) President Obama's support for shale fracking even though his own Environmental Protection Agency will not complete its national fracking impact study until at least 2016.

After the New York State Republican boss accused Governor Cuomo of "political cowardice" for not allowing fracking to begin, we strongly defended the Governor's eminently sensible decision to withhold a final shale fracking decision until after a Final SGEIS is adopted. See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/sites/default/files/Statement_of_Walter_H...

Our work produced extensive press coverage in Time Magazine, NPR, local, statewide and national newspapers, TV, radio and Andy Revkin's dot.earth blog in The New York Times, which re-posted the Time piece as well as Toxics Targeting's Rally Map. Check it out at: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale

Thanks, again, to each and every person who helped make that rally an incredible day. Was that fun or what?

Fruits of Your Labor Reflected in Latest Siena College Poll

I am thrilled to report that a Siena College poll just reported its largest plurality ever of shale fracking opposition in New York (45% oppose fracking to 37% support it). Moreover, there was a bump up in fracking opposition from last month's poll (42% to 41% opposition in August).

This coincided with a drop in Governor Cuomo's job performance rating to 49% to 50% from 52% to 46% in August.

Sheer coincidence? I think not. This is what your doggedness and determination have achieved.

See: http://www.siena.edu/uploadedfiles/home/parents_and_community/community_...

I assure you that the Second Floor is scrutinizing these poll numbers and cringing at the specter of thousands of rabid anti-fracking activists storming every gubernatorial campaign event between now and election day 2014.

That is the crux of the matter. We will see how things play out. Steady as she goes.

WSJ and Gannett Report DOH Review Still On-Going

The Wall Street Journal and Jon Campbell of Gannett News recently reported that Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav R. Shah has been traveling all over the country as part of the DOH Review. Governor Cuomo's secret proceeding is obviously still forging ahead: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/news/2013-09-13/where-worl...

Do not believe anyone who tells you that the Governor is "delaying" a decision or has kicked the fracking can down the road past 2014. Stay on the job or we could be doomed.

Take Action Today

We must push harder than ever to halt the secret DOH Review and require a comprehensive "Public Health Impact Study" to resolve shale fracking health hazard concerns once and for all.

Use this Quick Action Guide to crank up the heat on Governor Cuomo and the members of the Fracking Advisory Panel: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/alerts/2013/08/07/quick-ac...

Your powerful letters echo our policy request and can hold key decision makers strictly accountable for their actions.

See: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/documents/2013/04/24/email... and http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/documents/2013/07/02/email...

Thank You

In closing, I want to say how much I appreciate all the generosity, dedication and thoughtfulness that so many activists have demonstrated over and over these long, hard years. Thank you for always showing up and doing what I request. Without you, New York's Marcellus Shale almost certainly would have been fracked years ago.

My goal has always been to educate and organize citizens to make them effective defenders of their local environments. That is why I write extraordinarily detailed alerts to explain what we are doing. An enthralling number of people tell me that they read every single word. Even more do precisely what I ask. That incredible teamwork is the secret to our campaign's success.

Thank you all so much for your assistance in holding the line against irreparable shale fracking hazards in New York. It is miraculous that we have made it this far, but we have a long way to go. Every day is a political eternity.

Onward and upward. Go hard. Take absolutely nothing for granted.

Very best regards,

Walter

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