My name is Stephanie. I write you this email today because this is the only way I have found to contribute to efforts which I honestly believe are necessary to ensure the best opportunities for New Yorker's health and well-being in the long-term. I am so very concerned that we will look back on fracking in 30 years and wonder what the heck we were thinking, rushing into an unsustainable and self-destructive, polluting practice with no long-term benefits, only short-term financial and political ones. Please--seriously--please do contact me about any better ways to get involved in this process, if there are any. I don't know everything about this issue, but based on what I have read and heard, I believe it is my duty to get involved on some level.

 

My name is Dee A. and I crossed party lines to vote for you as Governor of my state of New York.  I write today because I am deeply concerned about possible damage to our beautiful Finger Lakes area where damage to our environmental waters would be devastating to our tourist economy.  I am also deeply concerned about associated health risks for our residents.

 

My name is Sasha P. As a constituent who voted for you and would like to continue supporting you, it is vitally important to me that you do not permit horizontal hydraulic fracturing in New York without assessing and addressing all of its potential impacts on the health of your people.  Our health is a critical factor in your state's workforce and healthcare systems. A sickening state will not attract business, tourism, college students, and new residents. A legacy of permanently endangering your constituents will serve you poorly in future political endeavors.

 

My name is David F. I write today because I want to make sure you don't frack YOUR future.

 

My name is Anthony B. I write today because I am opposed to letting the Marcellus Shale Region of central New York state be subjected to irreparable environmental and economic harm by allowing hydraulic fracturing for natural gas.  The harm caused to our neighbors in Pennsylvania should serve as a warning of the dangers involved in this practice. I am a fan of yours.  You have exercised good political judgment and courage in your stand on marriage equality, gun control and other issues.  I supported your father as governor and I supported your election.  I hope to support you in a run for the White House, but if fracking is permitted I will not support you either in a national campaign or a second term for governor.

My name is Tonia S. and I am a homeowner atop the Marcellus Shale deposit who DOES NOT want fracking to occur. Now. Next year. Ever. I am also a voter who put you into office.

My name is Judith C. I write today because I am thoroughly alarmed by the secrecy the entire fracking "review" process, but most particularly alarmed by the secret, so-called "Health review" supposedly being conducted by Dr. Nirav R. Shah. When the issues are this huge and the potential for harm so great, the entire citizenry must be involved in a decision that will impact their lives, mostly from what I've seen, negatively.  This is not a joke and it is not a subject for political maneuvering.  People are not pawns on a chessboard.  We are really alive, we breathe, we get sick from exposure to radiation, toxic chemicals, you name it.  It's time to get serious.

My name is Karen B., and I'm a NY voter.

 

My name is Elizabeth W.  I write today because you have the opportunity of a lifetime to show true ethical and political leadership and to become a national treasure on a par with Theodore Roosevelt.

 

My name is Dianne S. I write today because I oppose permitting high volume hydraulic fracturing in New York State.  I am a lifelong Democrat and I voted for you.  I voted for your father.  I will not vote for you if you allow this process in this state and I will vigorously oppose your re-election.

 

My name is Dr. Sharon Z. I write today because we cannot allow fracking in this state.  It will do many things the worst of which is to foul our most precious resource - Water.  As a Family Medicine Physician, I am concerned about our public health.  No water - no health.

 

My name is Nancy B. I write today because I greatly fear the results of fracking on our beautiful state. This process is KNOWN to pollute ground water contaminating our drinking water. The compressor stations and well rigs pollute the air causing KNOWN respiratory problems. The constant truck traffic will ruin our tourist trade including Watkins Glen International racetrack. The grape industry will suffer greatly.  Money will not purify our polluted waters.

 

My name is Cameron B. I write today because I am very concerned about fracking.  It crystal clear to me that HVHF is a poster child for human insanity:  we are smart enough to do it, but not wise enough to reject it.  It is like setting one's house on fire to keep warm.  We'll be warm for a while, but then we won't anywhere to live.  New York is a beautiful state.  How sad it would be to destroy it with methane leaking into the air everywhere and toxic chemicals destroying our water supply.  Air and water -- tough to live without.  This a major crossroad -- a place to draw the line.  Put ALL resources into renewable energy. You've been so daring on other fronts, done the right thing on so many issues.  This is probably the most important place to "do the right thing."

 

My name is Paul T. I write today because NY is ready to skip over the Shale Fracking Public Health Impact Study.

 

My name is Hana R. S. I write today because of the damage fracking will do to our beautiful state and the state of our citizens' health, particularly given the limits of oversight.  The political climate of the moment may encourage you to take steps towards an unwise and hasty decision; I am hoping that as a leader of integrity, as well as a governor who can skillfully and successfully dance on many political tightropes, that you will find a way to eliminate this irreversible threat.

 

My name is Curt D. I am writing today because I believe the NY State Marcellus Shale gas extraction moratorium must be extended.

 

My name is Lucie W. I write today because I am concerned about the practice of hydrofracking.

 

My name is Margaret H. I write today because I am concerned about the health and well being of our precious environment.

 

My name is Paul E. I write today to urge you to consider very carefully the ramifications of your decision on high volume hydraulic fracturing.  My children and grandchildren will have to live with the results of this decision.

 

My name is Susan I. I write today because I am concerned about the many possible health risks that HVHF may pose.

 

My name is Penny B.  I request that you maintain New York's Marcellus Shale gas extraction moratorium until your Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner, Dr. Nirav R. Shah, completes a comprehensive Public Health Impact Study of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF).

 

My name is Amy C. I write today because I'm 100% opposed to hydrofracking in NYS and will do everything I can to block this from happening.

 

My name is Lewis G. I write today because I am concerned that you might issue a permit for hydrofracking without requiring a comprehensive Public Health Impact Study of the dangerous method of extracting natural gas.

 

My name is The Rev. Nancy L., Ph.D. I write today because you still have not responded to the demands by voting citizens and taxpayers for a full and comprehensive Public Health Impact Study. As an Episcopal priest and Religious, I am deeply distressed that fracking is even under consideration. Fracking poisons water sources and air daily, filling our homes and bodies with toxins, leaving workers and residents dangerously ill. They lose their jobs, health, homes, community, hopes and dreams, and often their lives.

 

My name is AR L. I write today because New York State has always been the refuge to which I return for visits with family and for special vacations in the Southern Tier mountains and by the Finger Lakes.  I have lived in other states and have seen firsthand the cavalier attitude of other state governments toward industrialization of residential areas and scenic natural landscapes. New York has held itself to higher standards, and that is why I have returned to the Capital District.  New York should remain a safe and healthful haven for the rest of the United States.

 

My name is Daina L.  I write today because it is important that New York State complete a comprehensive health impact study (not just a review of assorted materials) prior to any decision on unconventional shale gas extraction for our state.  No other state has studied impacts prior to a decision. Pennsylvania is now at the point of beginning two studies, and public health officials workers are looking at clusters of health problems in the SW part of PA and are trying to recommend actions PA residents in shale gas areas can take to try to improve their difficulties.

 

My name is Jeremiah J. I write today because of my concerns with hydraulic fracturing in NY.

 

My name is Frank B. I write today because fracking in New York State would be a disaster for almost everyone in NYS.

 

My name is Marie D. I write today because of the many uncertainties surrounding the possible future of Fracking within the Marcellus Shale.

 

My name is Carole M. I write today because I have seen first hand in Pennsylvania th deleterious effects on people and animals of HVHF.   I do not believe that this process can be done safely.  But I do believe the state should be undertaking the most serious investigation of its consequences.

 

My name is Patricia W. I write today because my family has lived in the Southern Tier of New York for five generations, but I am contemplating moving out of state.  I do not feel that the state is acting in the best interests of the residents in considering the permitting of shale gas development.  The health and quality of life of residents living above the Marcellus Shale would be seriously threatened by the activities connected to gas extraction if it is allowed to proceed before the completion of a thorough study of all human health and environmental effects.

 

My name is Al H. I write today because I am very afraid you are going to allow Hydro Fracking into NY.

 

My name is Joanne C. I write today because I am very concerned about the health of my family, my community, Broome County, and New York State. Because I live in Vestal on the PA border, I have already seen people in my area adversely affected by the drilling, processing, and transmission activities of the HVHF industry and the unethical behavior of some in the Pennsylvania government which has made it difficult for health professionals to do their jobs of helping their patients and of sharing critical health data with other medical personnel, researchers, and patients. I want you to ensure that this deplorable situation does not spread to New York.

 

My name is Steven G. I write today to ask you to make sure that the State performs a proper and thorough public health impact study of HVHF.  A study conducted in secret does not count!  People inevitably take shortcuts when they are operating behind closed doors.  Please instruct your DOH commissioner to initiate a truly public Health Impact Study.

 

My name is Gene P. I write today because of the importance of banning fracking.

 

My name is Vicky S. I write today because I vehemently oppose the rape on our beloved NYS by the obnoxious process of HVHF.

 

My name is Craig P. D. I write today because I care DEEPLY about the HEALTH, both PHYSICAL and ECONOMIC of all NEW YORKERS!

 

My name is Dave C. I write today because Fracking destroys water supplies, farming, and in particular, the growing number of organic dairy/meat farms, wineries, and microbreweries. These are the real long term future of New York State, not short term environment wrecking extraction profits.

 

My name is Noreen C.  I write today because I am a resident of Binghamton and I am concerned about the impacts that hydraulic fracturing would have on the Southern Tier.

 

My name is Robin K. I write today because your continuing leadership keeping hydraulic fracking out of New York State is critical to the wellbeing of our beautiful state.

 

My name is Carol P. I write today because I am extremely concerned about the health impact of any shale fracking in NY State.

 

My name is Rebecca C. I write today because I fervently believe that not only is fracking for gas an absolutely preposterous notion promoted by multi-national corporations that care not for our country, our health, our environment, but also gas is completely unnecessary for energy independence -- solar power is free, unlimited and absolutely safe, plus it promises a decentralized system which should be recognized as a homeland security issue!

 

My name is Annie C. I write today because I want YOU to ban Fracking in New York State!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

My name is Sheila S. I write today because I care about the future.

 

My name is Brenda L. I write today because I am concerned about this important environmental issue.

 

My name is Stephen D. I live within the New York Marcellus Shale area. I write today because I urge you not to allow HVHP Fracking and the massive industrialization of New York State associated with it. There are too many uncertainties and more and more evidence every day that the process is unsafe and potentially disasterous for those of us that live in areas that are targeted to be drilled and fracked for gas.  In addition to the health and safety issues, the wild economic projections of those promoting gas drilling and HVHP Hydrofracking are proving to be complete fiction in other areas of the country. The promised job numbers and economic prosperity fail to occur.  In fact many areas of the country where such activity has occurred have experienced short booms and then severe busts within their local economies leaving them worse off than before before drilling and fracking occurred.  The gas industry production projections are proving to be fictional as well. I urge you and your staff to explore the many economic impact reports and studies that show these and significant other negative economic impacts and other gas industry claims that do not hold up to any serious non industry sponsored study. Here are links to reports and presentations by Deborah Rodgers and Janette Barth, Ph.D (Economics) both of whom are experts in this area:

http://energypolicyforum.org/about-us/

http://www.catskillcitizens.org/barth/

As a supporter  who voted for you, I further urge you to BE BOLD -  abandon gas produced in this way, prevent any and all  exportation of New York produced gas,   and instead persue renewable and sustainable energy sources, point of use production,  energy conservation, green-energy saving building building construction and retrofits as the central refocus the State's energy policy and plan.  

Gas drilling and HVHP Hydrofracking are a bridge to nowhere, except maybe ruin.

 

My name is Joan W. I write today because in spite of the corrupt not disclosure agreements, the harms to the health of people and animals in all areas that are being fracked continue to be recorded.  NY needs a comprehensive health study.

 

My name is Kyllikki I. I write today, because I am terribly concerned about the potential devastating health impacts on the upstate NY population should you allow any Hydraulic Fracturing to be tested. We must have a comprehensive public health study, allowing for public and academic input, and no corporate lobbying or biases.

 

My name is Dr. Christopher O., and I write today because, as a parent and educator, I am deeply concerned about the disastrous effects of shale gas fracking on both our children's health and on our environment.  Though I supported you in the last election, I do not believe you are aware of the many risks facing New York if this is allowed to be pushed through due to the pressures of a very well-funded gas industry lobbying effort that assures citizens of the safety of fracking.

 

[My name is Abbe L.] I am writing with great concern over the issue of hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. I live in the Finger Lakes Region, where the economy depends heavily on tourism and there are many 2 lane roads. Hydrofracking could stress our already stressed road system and drive tourists away from the noise, traffic and industrialization of our precious landscape. In addition, I am quite concerned about contamination of public water supply, depletion of ground water, and other potential pollution, all of which could have grave impacts on public health. I voted for you, and would like to do so again. Your actions, transparency and welcoming of public input on this issue could have a very big impact on my vote.

 

My name is Alice B. I write today because I deeply believe that we need to be absolutely sure that Marcellus Shale gas extraction can be accomplished with no danger to our environment or to our health or the health of future generations.

 

My name is John B. I write today because of my continuing concerns about horizontal hydraulic fracturing in New York State.

 

My name is Joseph M and I write today because I do not want "fracking" (hydraulic fracturing) to take place anywhere in New York.

 

My name is Walter M. I write today because I am very disturbed.

 

My name is Monika G. I write today because I am concerned about my family's, community's and NY State's health.

 

My name is Lynne T. I write today because of my continuing concern that environmentally destructive hydraulic fracturing for gas will be allowed in New York State.

 

My name is Ayne S. I write today because I am extremely concerned about the health impacts of HVHF on the population of our beautiful state.

 

My name is Sarah B. I am a secondary science teacher, who voted for you. I write today because I remain very concerned about the possibility of hydraulic-fracturing being allowed in our area or anywhere in NY state. The pollution that it would cause in the rock layers would irreversible and wide spread.  The likelihood of it effecting human health immediately or in short order is terrifying. There isn't an issue that is more important.  If fair study and evaluation is considered, you and all of us will be glad that you protected NY's resources and it's people. Please consider the following.

 

My name is Maria T. I write today because I oppose fracking in NYS. I request that you maintain New York's Marcellus Shale gas extraction moratorium until your Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner, Dr. Nirav R. Shah, completes a comprehensive Public Health Impact Study of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF).

 

My name is Gerrit C. I write today because of [an] activist alert from Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting.

 

My name is Mike M. I write today because, as a Steuben County resident, I am very concerned that shale fracking may soon be allowed in New York, and more specifically in my county. I am a registered Democrat and have actively voted for and/or financially supported Democratic candidates in every state and national primary and general election since 1982. I intend to be voting when you come up for re-election, and you deserve to know that this is a critical issue for me and may be The deciding factor in my choice when voting over the next few years.

 

My name is Emme H. I write today because I am a farmer, from generations of farmer working the same land in Upstate NY. The land has been in the family for over 200 years and is being threatened by the possibility of being made unworkable.

 

My name is Marcia J. I write today because I want New York to remain a beautiful and healthy state in which to live and which to visit.

 

My name is Louis S….Binghamton, NY. I write today because I am deeply concerned that you may give the approval for shale gas hydrofracking in NYS w/out a comprehensive public and environmental health impact study being conducted.

 

My name is Anne R. I write today because I am a concerned neighbor. I have been living with fracking for several years. All I see is degradation. To pretend that this is a cost free process, is delusional. WE are committing ecocide on this planet. Is that really what you want your legacy to be. Please do not dismiss this question as the hyperbole of a tree hugger. The impact is huge and not reversible.

 

My name is Murray B. and I write today because I request that you maintain New York's Marcellus Shale gas extraction moratorium until your Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner, Dr. Nirav R. Shah, completes a comprehensive Public Health Impact Study of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF).

 

My name is Anne L. I write today because I oppose hydrofracturing in NYS.  This technology will destroy our health.

 

My name is Richard J. I write today because I am concerned about government agencies like the EPA censoring frack/water testing data in Pennsylvania....When that is happening can we expect a fair shake in NY?????????? The water resource is more valuable then the gas. It is for future generations!!! Do not destroy it!!!!!

 

My name is Daniel P. I write today because we need to preserve the breadbasket of New York State and not allow eternal pollution of our finite, nonrenewable water table and watersheds.  Please pursue renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and recycling as these are less likely to harm us, our children and the environment, preserving the economic health of NYS for future generations.

 

My name is Susan M. I write today because our energy sources for this state SHOULD NOT include hydrofracking for natural gas.

 

My name is Robert [O]. I write today because fracking is dangerous to myself and family.

 

My name is Katherine W. I write today because you know the truth about the tragic effects that hydro fracking has.

 

My name is Lee B. I write today because I want clean, safe water and air and solar/wind energy investment.

 

My name is Paul E. I write today to urge you to consider very carefully the ramifications of your decision on high volume hydraulic fracturing.  My children and grandchildren will have to live with the results of this decision.

 

My name is Charles B. I live in Corning NY. I write today because I am concerned about any decision to allow shale gas extraction. I will never support a go-ahead with this process.

 

My name is Cristian G. I write today because the issue of fracking is still not resolved in NY state.

 

My name is Elizabeth T. I write today because we must protect New York State from the catastrophic devastation wreaked by hydrofracture drilling.

 

My name is James-Henry H. I write today because I am worried you are going to cave to the industry pressures to allow fracking in New York.  Instead, we need a GO SLOW approach.

 

My name is Elaine L. I write today because I fear for the health of New Yorkers.  The REAL results of the EPA study on Dimock, PA's water are out in public now, and show how dangerous fracking is to our most important resource, water.  I am shocked that those results were suppressed, but it just shows how unscrupulous the proponents of fracking are.

 

My name is Rita B. I write today because I am concerned about our environment.

 

My name is Susan M. I write today because I oppose fracking in the U.S. and especially in NYS.

 

My name is Eve S. I write today because I care about the safety of our air, water, soil, health, agriculture, and long term renewable energy .

 

My name is DR. STEVE S. I write today because I am concerned about the direction that might be taken in destroying our fragile environment with a decision to allow fracking to occur.

 

[My name is Neil F.] I write today because of my concern about shale gas extraction.

 

My name is Mary Beth O. I live in an area of central New York that would be severely impacted should fracking be allowed. I ask that instead of permitting our people, land, and water to be threatened by this industry, that you emphasize the development of renewable, sustainable energy. My partner and I have signed on to a local solar project. We're investing in solar energy and in insulating our 1880s farmhouse. The gas men came knocking years ago and we said no. We wish that everyone had. I understand the economic incentive that some were unable to resist, but this is a state (and, I believe, national) issue that is too important to reduce to mere economics. Please do the right thing for all of our sakes.

 

My name is Franz S. I write today because I am a concerned citizen who loves his family and his state.

 

My name is Arthur S. I write today because I am concerned over the lack of public input or information about the potential health risks from fracking.

 

My name is Julie W. I write today because I am concerned about the environmental impacts of fracking in the Marcellus Shale region. Not only am I a New York City resident that benefits from this currently pristine water supply, but I am involved with…[a] Campsite in Hancock, NY and am very familiar with the natural beauty and diversity of the flora and fauna that lives there. I am not convinced that fracking can be safely done, and once embarked upon, there is no going back.

 

My name is Ed M. I write today because fracking will destroy upstate New York.

 

My name is Susan D., M.D. I write today because I am concerned that Hydrofracking of natural gas will be approved in NY State without proper (well performed) health and environmental impact studies.

 

My name is Ann M. I write today because I live in a beautiful area of NY State where the water is pure and it is possible to live a healthful life style, eat healthful locally grown food and I want it to remain so for future generations.

 

My name is Valessa S-K. I write today because I feel strongly that the public health impacts of fracking must be fully understood and shared before any fracking should be considered.

 

My name is James S. I write today because I want you to be re-elected, and to continue to protect NY from Fracking.

 

My name is Laura N. I write today because I am gravely concerned about the fracking moratorium.

 

My name is Roanna J. I write today to appeal to your basic core decency -- leave a legacy you can be proud of -- NOT the poisoning of the entire State and future generations -- future national political ambitions are not worth it.

 

My name is Ilse F. I write today because I want this state to be safe for my grandchildren to live in; to eat local produce, eat NYS grown apples and grass fed meat, and drink pure water.

 

My name is Daniel K., from Ithaca.  It is important that the DOH not just secretly review public health impacts of hydrofracking, but in order to protect public health, New York State needs to perform a comprehensive Public Health Impact Study of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF).  Investors can wait--there is too much as stake that other states have gotten terribly wrong.

 

My name is Paul L. I write today because I am concerned about the environmental impact that Shale gas extraction will have on the health and safety my common, my community, and of course New York State.

 

My name is Martha T. I write today because I believe we need more study about the dangers of fracking.

 

My name is Daniel P. I write today because I am concerned about the health of present and future generations in NY state and do not want our lives and fresh water compromised by any hydrofracking.  Thank you.

 

My name is Linda C. I write today because of my continued concerns about the dangers of fracking. I am sure you face great pressures from pro-fracking forces, but the environmental and health impact of fracking are becoming increasingly clear as time goes on.

 

My name is Michael S. I write today because I oppose fracking completely.

 

My name is James S. I write today because shale gas extraction is a dangerous course for NY State.

 

My name is Michael L. I write today because your ineptness in the handling of possible Fracking in NYS has been ABSOLUTELY astonishing.

 

[Our names are] Ronald & Ruth T. [We] write today because of our mistrust of the gas companies and lack of state and federal funding to regulate and hold their feet to the fire regarding the safety of our environment and the health of our children and their future.  They (gas companies) have a very poor track record as is evidenced in researching other states.  And what is this "gag order," all about when individuals are wronged and are not allowed to speak out if they are to be compensated?  Where's the transparency?

 

My name is Daniel S. I write today because of the major environmental and economic risks posed by hydraulic fracturing for shale gas production.

 

My name is Laura N. I write today because I am gravely concerned about the health hazards that are associated with fracking.

 

My name is Robert S. I write today because I strongly oppose Hydraulic Fracturing to be allowed in New York State or anywhere, due to the devastating consequences it will have on our environment now and for generations to come.

My name is Martha S.  I live in Liberty, NY.  I write today because I believe that shale gas extraction (fracking) is detrimental to the health of the residents of New York State.  Research from other states across the country have shown contamination of water and air.  Water and air are essential elements for life.  Look at the data, look at the maps, look at the photographs and ask yourself if you want fracking in the beautiful state of New York.  Think about a fracking well within an acre or two of your own home and imagine the disruption on the local roads, the ruin of natural beauty, the reduction in property value, the noise and the smell, and the inevitable health issues caused by contaminated water and air. I think David Paterson was a hero to start the fracking moratorium five years ago. I think you, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, can be our country's new hero by standing up to the gas industry and saying very clearly that gas extraction (fracking) in New York State is a No-No.  If New York takes a strong stand against fracking and declares a ban on fracking, New York will be known forever as the one state in the union that was smart enough to understand the issue and put its citizens first.  That could be your legend -- defending the health of New Yorkers and saying No to fracking. 

My name is James-Henry H. I write today because I fear for the health of New York State!

 

My name is Susan M. I write today because a final and definitive choice to ban hydrofracking in New York State must be made.

 

My name is Pat D. I write today because I want NY to follow Vermont's lead in a statewide ban on "fracking".

 

My name is Frances L. I write today because I feel strongly that fracking is the wrong approach to producing the energy we need.

 

My name is Daniel P. I write today because I am concerned about the health of NY state residents, fauna and flora and to ask that you please maintain NY Marcellus Shale gas extraction moratorium.  Please pursue renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal and tidal options.

 

My name is Chris S. I write today because I don't want to be poisoned in the latest corporate scheme to make themselves rich at my expense. You know they're destroying the water table and people's health. Why don't you act like it? Have you been paid off? Have you sold us out for money?

 

My name is Regina L. I write today because I am a member of Sierra Club, and I am concerned about fracking in NYS.

 

My name is Frank C. I write today because I'm very concerned about your understanding of the real dangers of fracking in NYS (Gasland II is out on HBO. You must watch it).

 

My name is Ann S.  I write today because of my great concern about failures to address impacts of Shale Gas Fracking in New York and Pennsylvania, and in particular inadequate "health impact analysis."  As a property owner in one of the most heavily fracked border counties in Pennsylvania, I have more than a passing interest.  My property and family property going back more than four generations, now with a sustainable agriculture operation, are at risk.  Having attended some meetings at DOE in Washington, it is clear that the drillers have the power and the upper hand.  It is essential that state agencies conscientiously represent and protect communities and individuals from the dangers of fracking.

 

My name is Steve L. I write today because I am concerned about hydrofracking and its potential to contaminate the water table, infrastructure damage, negative impact on quality of life, reduction of real estate values, methane gas emissions and health problems due to the hundreds of chemicals used in this process.

 

My name is Jeanne W. I write today because I want ALL fracking BANNED in ALL of New York State, as we have already been personally affected by a so-called "test" well that went VERY BAD.

 

My name is Rita P. I write today because I spend time in New York State.

 

My name is Al H. I write today because I am very concerned about Hydrofracking. I'm sure you are aware how bad it will be for our water supply. I'm worried that we will do something that will be terribly damaging for all future generations.

My name is Keith S.  I am a resident of the…State of New York.  I was born and raised in Chemung County NY and attended Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.  In short, I am a product of our great state. I write today because I am concerned at the appearance you and your administration may approve high-pressure, hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") in the Marcellus Shale region of New York without having fully evaluated the full possible impact to public health.  I think this is a grave mistake.  We have already seen many of the horrors of what fracking can do in Pennsylvania and other states where it is allowed.  To think that we will have any different results in New York State is nothing less than foolish. While I am pleased with the many fine results you have brought to New York State, including Marriage Equality, getting our fractious state legislature to work effective, getting the budget done and approved on time for several years now and your support for getting big corporate money out of the election process, it is important you understand that on the question of fracking, I am a single-issue voter:  If fracking comes to New York State after any hint of approval by you or your administration, you will never have my vote or support for any public office - neither in New York State, nor Federal elections - which you may seek in the future. 

My name is Suma R. I write today because I am concerned about the long-term environmental impacts of fracking.

 

My name is Rachel S. I write today because the benefits of fracking do NOT outweigh the cost.

 

My name is Chris B. I write today because I am concerned about the impact of hydrofracking on New York State's groundwater supply.

 

My name is Cara B.  I write today to speak out against the hasty passage of permits for natural gas proceeding from shale, popularly called "Fracking."

 

My name is Kristin H. I write today because I grew up in Western New York and my family and many friends still reside there.  I am concerned about the health and environmental impacts of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing and the insufficient research that has gone into planning thus far.  Comprehensive research, along with transparency of methodology, process and results are essential for broad and thorough public consideration.

[My name is] Marc M. If fracking is safe, why is the industry exempt from the liabilities of the Safe Drinking Water Act? There is ample evidence to indicate many of the serious environmental and health problems associated with fracking and research -- much of it done at Cornell -- indicating the inherent failure modes and historic failure rates associated with the process. If fracking could be done without endangering the public heath the industry would not have required the 2005 exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act before expanding production.

My name is Erica. I write today because I oppose fracking in New York State.

 

My name is Linnea F.  I write today because I am concerned about our environment.

 

My name is Beth F. I write today because I am very concerned about fracking in NY State. I am from PA originally and I have also lived in TX and WV, so my concern about the disastrous effects of fracking on the environment, on drinking water, air quality, and on the beauty of the landscape and natural environment are not abstract or unfounded. PA and TX already know first hand what a terrible deal this all is and why the gas companies are so eager to get this down quickly--they want to get in and out before we know fully what hit us, but a drive thru any of these places can show you what we have to be concerned about! More data is coming out to show why we should continue to proceed with extreme caution. The gas will always be here when safer methods of extraction are developed and when we know fully what the risks are to humans and to our beautiful state.

 

My name is Dr. Lennard D. I write today because I am want NYS to lead the way in this complex issue.  Can we be one of the states that puts citizen's interests and health above the needs of oil companies?  I hope so.

 

My name is Susan T. I write today because you must protect our health from Fracking.

 

[My name is] David G.  I am very apprehensive about the prospect of fracking and its impact on New Yorek State's water supply, which is arguably among the best in the world.

 

My name is Craig D. I write today because I care deeply about the health of New York State residents.

 

My name is Karen D. I write today because as an RN, I believe that the health impacts to our local community have not been adequately addressed, including the mental health impacts that result from a community undergoing rapid change and the inadequate response capability of our rural communities to industrial accidents. In addition the important points about chemical exposure outlined by Toxic Targeting urgently need to be addressed.

 

My name is Denis B. I write today because I am seriously concerned about the future of the environment and loss of tourism in areas where hydraulic fracturing for natural gas may take place someday.

 

My name is Rebecca C. I write today because it is my moral duty to work for compelling public health issues, and I thus ARDENTLY OPPOSE FRACKING BECAUSE THERE IS no way IT CAN BE DONE SAFELY.  I consider to be absolutely preposterous the idea that humans should literally blow up the bedrock and permanently deplete our planet's water supply for a dirty fuel that is simply not necessary given the excellent alternatives of solar and wind energy development.

 

My name is Maria T. I write today because as a scientist who has followed the impact of hydrofracking in Pennsylvania I have arrived [at] the conclusion that its negative impact on public health and safety outweighs its short-range favorable impact on the economy and thus I urge you to ban hydrofracking from NYS.

 

My name is Rita P. I write today because I live in fear of polluted water and air due to fracking.

 

My name is Anna E. I write today because I am opposed to permitting hydrofracking in NYS.  Once this decision is made we cannot go back.  This is not a sustainable decision.  We should not be using our resources to pursue a type of energy that causes global warming.  We need to be brave and be leaders in alternative energy sources (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal) and protect our precious water resources.

 

My name is Michele P. I write today because I am against hydrofracking.

 

My name is Lindsay G. I write today because New York seems to be poised to make an irrevocable mistake! Permitting Fracking will make the state's water unsafe to drink, it's agriculture subject to toxic pollution, it's tourism non-existent, it's property-owning citizens subject to what is, in effect, illegal seizure, it's public health system fatally over-burdened, it's roads dangerous, it's government corrupt, it's environment a sacrificial lamb for the international gas market. Also sacrificed will be its livability for generations to come. Please don't do this!

 

My name is Gene P. I write today because this is critically important.

My name is Carey H. I write today because I am a mother and a farmer and I live with my family in the beautiful town of Hector, NY between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes.  As you know this is an extraordinarily beautiful region in NY State which is known for its rich agricultural community; farmers, orchards, vineyards, artists, musicians, food artisans, scientists etc; I am very happy to live here and proud of the down-to-earth, model community of hard working, caring, and environmentally conscientious people who have chosen to settle in this region of beauty. Anyone who spends a little time here and understands the layout here will recognize that this is not a region for large corporate and industrial development. I understand that there are places where these kinds of developments must exist however this region is NOT one of them! PLEASE.

My name is Antoinette D. I write today because I'm so disappointed in your unwillingness to make the right decision about protecting our natural resources and our health while also not making the process regarding fracking more transparent to your people. I voted for you with pride but I will not vote for you in November if you continue as you have. Shame on you!

My name is Robert O. I write today because I am very concerned about the health impacts of high volume hydraulic fracturing. I say this not as an activist but as a researcher who has published one of the few studies on the health impacts of this process…and edited a volume of studies on a range of topics associated with hydraulic fracturing…. I urge you to consider our studies and move forward with a comprehensive study of health impacts.

My name is Mitchell L. I write today because I'm very concerned about the health impacts of gas drilling.

My name is Esther H. I write today because I am afraid of what the influence of money can do and I want a livable NY for my grandchildren.

My name is Eleanor F. I write today because I am strongly opposed to fracking.

My name is Debbie B. I write today because we need more information!!

My name is Anne K., a constituent who voted for you. I write today because I am a mother and grandmother who is having trouble breathing New York State air and is very worried that we will only have polluted water to drink if Hydrofracking is allowed to make its ugly face shown in our beautiful state.

My name is Joseph S. I write today because I'm concerned about the health of our water supply.

My name is Carol M. I write today because I am very concerned about the future of NY State should horizontal hydrofracking be allowed to go forward.

My name is Gerrit C. I write today because of activist alert from Walter Hang's Toxics Targeting.

My name is Carolyn P. I write today because of how fortunate New Yorkers are and how we have an obligation to the people of this state, as well as the people of this country, to protect the bounty of fresh water that we have been taking for granted. Of course fracking will endanger our health. Any permanent destruction of life-giving resources tends to be bad for one's health. That's not really the issue is it? The issue is money, just as it has always been. Nevertheless, I will play this game.

My name is Dennis L. and I am a New York resident. I write today because fracking is unsafe.

My name is Lauren S. I write today because I am a concerned NY State resident.

My name is Diane M.  My home is in the town of Sanford, New York.  I am a member of Sanford-Oquaga Area Concerned Citizens (S-OACC) who are working to improve the future prospects in our town.  I write today because our air, our water, and our food sources are endangered by the possibility that tens of thousands of acres in the Southern Tier could be sacrificed to fracking instead of agriculture. In the town of Sanford we have already lost property values on recreational lakes which will diminish the tax revenue that supports our schools - all this to benefit a handful of landowners who pretend to be the spokespeople for the residents of out town. In Sanford the Board has ignored and attempted to silence its constituents, even though it received a petition with nearly 500 signatures to ban fracking in our town.  Our supervisor does not speak for us. Residents of our town do not want to be an experimental zone for this risky industry.

My name is Anne P. I write today because as a 40-year resident of the Southern Tier of New York, I am horrified at the dangers of hydrofracking in our area.

My name is Brian B. I write today because I am opposed to "fracking" especially in New York State.

My name is Dwain W. I write today because I am very concerned about a large number of environmental, health and wildlife problems associated closely with the practice of hydraulic fracturing.

My name is Thomas T. I write today because in order to vote for you again, you must stop the fracking threat to our state!

My name is Steven G. I write today because I want to make sure that we do not allow any hydraulic fracturing in the State without first completing a thorough, open review of the health and economic effects.  The current health study underway does not count, because it is being carried out behind closed doors, with no public input.

My name is Tom M. I write today because I live in Deposit, NY.

My name is Bradley D. I write today because I am horrified of the consequences of Fracking.

My name is ________, Councilman for the Town of Otsego. I write today because I'm looking for your steadfast commitment to doing the right thing and preserve and protect NYS from the ravages of natural gas development. You are promoting great opportunities for our state (wine, beer, yogurt, tourism, agriculture).  These will all be sacrificed if drilling is permitted.  Strong leadership on this issue will preserve your political position and ultimately, your legacy as Governor.

My name is Melanie J. I write today because I would like to pleaseask for No hydraulic fracturing in Upstate New York we need to preserve our land and water supplies.

My name is Clarissa F. I write today because I care about the economic health of the area that I live as a 4th generation resident in Trumansburg, New York.

My name is Dorothy P. I write today because the last thing I want for Upstate NY and the Fingerlakes region is hydrofracking. The beauty and peacefulness of our countryside and our communities is of the utmost importance to me and my family,-- more so than "jobs", more so than "economic development", more so than "corporate profits", more so than "energy bridges to the 21st century.” The quality of our life rests basically on food, shelter, peace and natural beauty. The natural beauty of Upstate NY is hard to beat. You and I both know that tourism can be a boon for this region, and can only be destroyed by wellpads, huge trucks, all-night glaring lights, gas flares, holding ponds for toxic waste, radioactive drill waste in our landfills, wastewater that our water treatment plants cannot deal with, and the perpetual threat that the underground waste will someday work its way up to the surface and contaminate our streams. Why is it that the NYC water supply is "protected" from this threat but not the rest of the Southern Tier? Yes, NYC has more money and therefore more power and influence. But aren't the state power brokers who are considering allowing fracking "only in the Southern Tier" implying that the Southern Tier, which is rural in character, is therefore, a "throw-away" area? That our drinking water supply is less important to our health than the NYC reservoirs to the city folks? I remember back in the late 1980's and early 1990's -- when the idea of a radioactive waste disposal site was kicked around by the federal and state government. Guess which areas of NY were the suggested sites? The rural areas!! Cortland County and Allegheny County to mention the two top targets. Both rural and therefore, in the eyes of the power brokers, the most disposable. The rural areas, with less population and less money, were considered the "easy prey" for an unpopular waste dump. Remember how long and hard those areas fought back? The people rose up and fought tooth and nail. And finally, even the federal government backed down, because NOBODY wanted it. Well, guess what? "You ain't seen nothing yet!" This battle over shale gas drilling and hydrofracking will go on and on and on. We, the rural folks, will fight tooth and nail again and again and again. We have a right to peace and natural beauty and decent drinking water. We will bring down any politician or power broker who goes against us. Please watch carefully as this battle continues--you will be truly amazed by our ingenuity and political skillfulness!

My name is Paul G. I write today because I am vitally concerned about clean air and clean water for myself, my children and my grandchildren.

[My name is] Davies Nagel. I realize that you are caught between a rock, specifically Marcellus Shale, and a hard place (your future in politics). I have to believe you understand the environmental dangers involved with HVHF and I'm also sure you know the political dangers of decisions regarding this industry. Moving forward with this industry in NYS while it still is exempted from key federal regulations in the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act could be devastating for our state and its inhabitants.  I'm asking that you don't take this gamble and [instead] base your decisions on what might be best for our children as well as for future generations of New York Staters.

My name is James H. I write today because I am a concerned father, teacher and active environmentalist.

My name is Amy W. I write today because fracking represents a threat to our water, land, and public health.

My name is Cenie C. I write today, because as a pediatrician, I am very concerned about the exposure of vulnerable children, whose unformed blood brain barrier, as a fetus and early infant, makes them particularly vulnerable to toxic chemicals in fracking fluid.

My name is Franklin R. and I am a resident of Manhattan. I write today because I am deeply concerned about the way hydraulic fracturing is being considered in the State of New York. I never thought I would become an "activist" about this issue -- I normally just vote. But the lack of reasonable care and public scrutiny attending the gas industry's push for fracking has alarmed me. The American press happily points to China as an example of environmental carelessness and exploitation; I do not want to see New York State also become fodder for the press over the fracking issue, nor do I want to see massive, irreparable public harm in return for short-term gain. I have the strong feeling that your administration is about to sell the birthright of all New Yorkers -- the right to clean air and water -- for the proverbial bowl of porridge offered by the gas industry. 

My name is Lindsay G. I write today because I want you to consider the long term political consequences of degrading NY's water, air, and landscape, property values, quality of life, and health.

My name is Margaret K. I write today because I am concerned about the lives of New York State citizens.

My name is Cynthia C. I write today because I am concerned about the prospects for HVHF to be permitted in New York State. The consequences of this technology are dangerous and far-reaching and will do nothing to solve our energy issues. This form of gas extraction furthers our dependence on fossil fuels, creates greenhouse gas, thus worsening global climate change, is toxic to our environment in all ways possible, and provides a boom and bust economy which ultimately will ruin NY State's sustainable industries.

My name is Frank B., MD. I write today because Fracking in New York State is such a terrible prospect it must never happen.

My name is Sandra W. I write today because I am urging you to take three actions:  to put the DOH Review on hold, to conduct a shale gas "Public Health Impact Study" and to send the SGEIS "back to the drawing board" because it is grossly inadequate.

My name is Gail C. I write today because I am very concerned about the health of the people on the planet Earth and the health of the planet itself.

My name is Karyn S. I write today because I am still dumbfounded that you haven't banned fracking in beautiful NY State (my home) due to political pressures, especially when there is so much evidence of contamination at drill sites. If you are willing to really, and honestly look, you WILL see the truth. Do you really LOVE NY? Then please prove it! Be a human not a politician!

My name is Gary C., Ph.D. I write today because of my concern for the preservation of the economically powerful scenic beauty and of the high water quality of New York's Finger Lakes region.

My name is Paul T. I write today because My county is slated to be FRACKED.

My name is Debbie B. I write today because I fear you will not hear the people and abandon the notion of FRACKING in NY State.

My name is Rebecca B. I write today because  I love New York!!!! I grew up in the incredibly beautiful NYS Finger Lakes region, and unfortunately now live in "frack hell" in Northeast Pennsylvania.   My husband and I moved to Montrose PA nearly 40 years ago because of the peaceful countryside, acres and acres of forested land, and bountiful wildlife, birds, wildflowers, streams, lakes, virgin hemlock forests that were here. We are TRULY mourning the loss of these natural resources; it DOES feel like a loved one is slowly dying a horrible death and that we are watching, powerless to make any kind of difference.   In addition to the following items, I am VERY concerned about the purchase of 300 acres of land on Seneca Lake to be used to gain entrance to empty salt caves under the lake to be used as a storage facility for liquified natural gas. This is THE most dangerous, preposterous idea I have heard in a long time (among a huge long list of OTHER preposterous, dangerous ideas regarding natural gas extraction!!!!). This misguided "business" plan must be stopped NOW! Even though I am currently a Pennsylvania resident, I feel very close to New York State and consider it my true "home"!  I am SO proud of the resistance that has been and will continue to be mounted against the fracking process in NYS, and I am proud that you, as Governor, are holding out and not allowing any gas extraction in the state. (I have friends who work for a natural gas pipeline company in Oklahoma, and was extremely proud when they said that New York is the ONLY state to give the industry an effective, well-organized, well-researched, well-funded fight against drilling). Regardless of what some of the anti-fracking activists say, I feel that you DO have the best interest of all parts of New York State in mind -- the people, the wildlife, the natural resources like forests, streams, lakes, and most importantly the amazingly plentiful and good water NY has access to. NO corporation or individual(s) own these resources; they are there for all to benefit from and to LIVE by. NO corporation, individual or group of individuals has the right to put that clean water supply in danger. Not to mention clean air, which is also gravely in danger because of fracking.   The air in Susquehanna County PA (where I currently live) is now among the most polluted in the whole state -- the air quality has spiraled downward over the last 4-5 years because of so much fracking in our area.

My name is Carol R. I write today because your lack of action to protect my health and welfare outrages me!  I live in the Southern Tier of New York state where the Town Boards/Councils are blinded by potential dollar signs and fail to comprehend the scientific evidence that proves "fracking" cannot be done safely!  And you are failing to provide protection at the state level for those of us who are victims of these local know-nothings!!!

My name is Roanna J. I write today because I oppose "Fracking" in NYS -- in any location.  If you allow this -- you will never receive the NYS vote in any efforts you may intend to make to run for President in the future -- keep that in mind as you "maneuver” in these next weeks or months.  Others are more familiar with the "technicalities" in the process necessary to maintain our present moratorium -- but when the "dust settles" -- we know what you're considering.  Don't think we're not aware of it, and that you will get by.  It will not happen.

My name is Alice B. I write today because I need to tell you how important it is to protect our precious environment from hydraulic fracturing.  My heart and conscience leads me to implore you that hydraulic fracturing must not be done. UNLESS we are absolutely sure it will not cause ANY present time or future environmental or water purity damage/problems.  Please consider all the following information that illustrates my deep concern that you do the right thing and do not allow political pressure or money to influence your decision that will impact all of us and our future generations that will include your own family and friends.  This is the time for absolute truth.  There can be not one iota of possible threat to our environment that could harm anyone so that we can rest easily in the future and know we have not harmed our environment or any person -- now or ever.

My name is Manuel R. I write today because this issue is of prime importance to the health and well being of all New Yorkers.

My name is Jean N., MD-Ph.D. I write today as a New York physician and environmental advocate because I have deep reservations concerning the practice and use of hydraulic fracturing anywhere in New York State.

My name is Holly A. I write today because I am very concerned about protecting the health and way of life of the people of New York State.  The people of New York do not want fracking.  You are elected to represent the people, not the gas and oil corporations.

My name is Peter C. I write today because I believe fracking will destroy our environment and industrialize our beautiful state.

My name is Laura N. I write today because I am so concerned about the dangers of drilling for natural gas.  I am certain that it cannot be done safely.

My name is E. Louis P., MD. I write today because I am concerned that fracking will be allowed before it has been adequately studied.  While gas is important to humans for energy purposes, the most important chemical to human and animal life is water and enormous quantities of water are used for fracking and some significant gets contaminated and that may be possibly more than we know which is just one of the reasons this needs to be adequately studied.

My name is Diane L. I write today because I am concerned about the potential and probable impact upon the environment should fracking be permitted in New York State.

My name is Jeanne W. I write today because I am against ANY fracking in New York State.

My name is Ayne S.  I write today because I am a landowner in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York.

My name is Thomas R. I write today because I am concerned that hydraulic fracking may be permitted in NY.

My name is Ilse F. I write today because I want you to do the right thing by the residents of this state; not for political gain, which I believe this may be the sword that gets you if you call it incorrectly, but for the good of its people, agriculture, air quality, health, environment, economy, health, and peace of mind.

My name is Tim. I write today because of the dangers fracking can bring to our state if permitted.

My name is Kara E. I write today because I believe that High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing ("Fracking") should be ILLEGAL in New York until there is a safe way to do it and until then it should not be done.  I hope you are not counting on the DEC to help you because they ruined our lake in Delaware County (Silver Lake Road Hancock, NY/Deposit/NY -- we pay taxes for both schools) and with a small project that was so simple and with a little research or just asking the people on Silver Lake they would have not made the mistake and corrected the problem but instead they did not and all because of incompetency and lack of staff a simple solution turned into a big problem and this is just with a 50 acre lake.  What do you think is going to happen with fracking?  I do not have confidence in the DEC to handle this big job to make sure all is being done correctly and by the book. I believe that my health and the health of my family and friends is more important than a group of people getting rich off Marcellus Shale Natural Gas.  We need water and air to live.  I understand that fracking is not going to happen where you live, so what gives you the right to ok something that is not going to affect you and your family.  I do understand that some people do want this, but they are not seeing the big picture they are just seeing money signs in their eyes and that is not good enough - the positive and the negative do not balance out especially in the long run.  My father was unsure about this fracking and he thought it would be good for the economy, but I recently sent him a video from a company out of the UK (link TV) that did some research of their own -- he no longer thinks it is a good idea either, just from a 12 minute video.  I think you should watch it too! Here it is: http://www.linktv.org/video/6258 .

My name is Elsie C. I write today because I awaken every day, thinking how much our lives have changed. We dare to continue to believe that we, as citizens of the great New York State, and as citizens of these United States of America - that we can make a difference by raising our voices to protest the seeming avalanche of the demands made by BIG OIL. Why is it that you, as governor, seem to deny the voice of your citizens? Do we not have the right to live our lives in the pursuit of happiness? Happiness means that we can raise our families as we have always done - breathing the clean air and drinking the water that flows in our springs, into our deep wells; the water that we have endeavored to keep free of pollutants. We cannot live without clean water and clean air. Once these life-sustaining natural resources are contaminated with the toxic chemicals used in the "fracking" process, we will have lost everything. Our children and our children's children will have been sacrificed for the greed of people who would destroy this planet. This may sound extreme to you, but this is REALITY!

My name is Franz S. I write today to protect my children and my home. I am determined not to let the travesty of hydraulic fracturing happen in my beloved state of New York.

My name is Dr. Sharon Z. I write today because I want you to take into careful consideration the "small" people, those of use without huge bank accounts with which to bankroll politicians.  You're father would want you to listen to us carefully.  You have a good heart, and good ethics, but please, don't be swayed by short term, financial gains.  If you stand with us, we will stand with you.  The people united, will never be defeated, and we are united.

My name is Elizabeth T. I write today because I am scared to death about the threat posed by hydrofracture drilling for natural gas.

My name is Sean Z. I am a businessman, a farmer, and an Information Technologies professionally employed, employing others, and living in the state of New York. I write you, yet again, to implore you to issue an order to the DOH to conduct a scientific study, not review, of the health matters related to natural gas fracking extraction and its relationship to environmental impacts, which are clearly linked to public health.

My name is Kathy H. I write today because I'm a resident of the Finger Lakes Region and would like to remain here in an area with incomparable beauty, terrific tourism, and a generally good quality of life.

My name is William T. I write today because of the desire to maintain [a] gas extraction moratorium.

My name is Charles L. I write today because I do not want to see NY ruined by hydrofracking.  Also, way more jobs can be created with far more emphasis on renewables.  Please look into what Germany is doing and copy some of that instead.  Also please check out Amory Lovins "Rocky Mountain Institute" for other better ideas <http://www.rmi.org/>.  Along with that my mother has a real water well at her house near me -- it's like the best tasting pure spring water.  Also, many other residents in Broome get decent water from municipal wells, though there is some worry of contamination with TCE in Vestal already.  And there's already an IBM pollution plume of TCE in Endicott.  We don't need any more devaluations and problems like this.

My name is Sheryl S. I write today because I feel that I must strongly request that NO Fracking be allowed in New York State. We must protect our air, water, and health in this beautiful place we live.

Our names are Les and Jill L. [We] write today because we feel that taking care of our environment is the MOST IMPORTANT CAUSE in the WORLD. The thoughts of leaving our children and the generations after them deserve a healthy planet to live on, as well as all the wonderful plants and animals we share this planet with. We can not continue to fill the atmosphere with CO2 and Methane, warming the planet, drowning islands, horrific hurricanes and water surges, droughts, tornadoes....we need to listen to "Mother Nature" and build sustainable energy systems instead!!

My name is Karen S. I write today because I am concerned that fracking will pollute our water, cause additional air pollution, despoil the rural landscape, and in the end, be crushingly expensive to the State of NY and us taxpayers when it comes time to clean up a huge area made uninhabitable by this still-secret technology.  If Love Canal once stood for run-away dumping and pollution, displaced families and years of expensive remediation, albeit at the Super Fund's expense, what will fracked areas of New York many times the size of Love Canal be like, who will decontaminate them, relocate the residents of these sites, provide medical care and support those residents once their only asset -- their homes -- have been rendered worthless by fracking?

My name is Craig R. I write today because along with any New Yorker aware of the dangers of fracking am wildly opposed.

My name is Maria T., PhD. I write today because I am a concerned scientist about the negative impact of Hydrofracking on the long term Public health and Safety as well as the overall economy of NYS. Please read the Pulitzer's winning investigative report from the NY Times on hydrofracking in Pennsylvania: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/us/DRILLING_DOWN_SERIES.html .

My name is Paul. I write today because I am deeply concerned about the prospect of deep well drilling in New York State and the consequences for our food and water supply, and for the health of our neighbors.  Last year, recognizing the terrible threat this drilling, with its undisclosed chemicals, its checkered history of use and impact on the environment, the Park Slope Food Coop voted to endorse a call to ban this type of drilling in New York State.  I repeat that call.

My name is Clayton S. I write today because mistakes that we make with the environment are not easy to undo, if indeed they can be undone at all.  We cannot tell today for sure the effects that hydrofracking will have on the still pristine environment of upstate New York and it would be insane to play games with the abundant water resources that we have been gifted with.  Around the world clean drinking water becomes more scarce day by day, and perhaps it will be the tragedy of our time that we did not realize the peril of our situation when it was upon us, since our state and nation have never been bereft of this resource.  Many other parts of the world have not been so lucky.  New York's wealth is not buried in the Marcellus Shale, it is instead the clean water that we so take for granted and have never given thought to.  I appeal to you as a statesman, as the appointed guardian and steward of New York, to carry out your duty and safeguard this resource, else it will be to our very offspring and descendants that we are answerable.

My name is Juliana S. I write today because you have the power in this very important issue.

My name is Corina H. I write today because I am encouraging you to not allow hydraulic fracturing in New York.

My name is Mrs. S. I write today because I have some very deep concerns about the irreversible effects of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing.  Please consider the interests of your upstate country loving voters.  Myself and many like me would like to preserve our natural environment.  I understand 'fracking' does has several benefits but the preservation of my natural environment means more to me. I am a homeowner and have several real estate properties as well, please help me keep them safe and clean.  I appreciate your consideration and respect that you have a lot of options to balance.  Thank you for your time.

My name is Penelope K. I write today because I want you to ban hydrofracking in New York State.

My name is Vanessa B. I write today because I desperately want you to ban fracking in New York. I know it seems like an impossible position to be in with all the power and money the Oil industry has, but I promise you that if you ban fracking in NY you will be wildly rewarded and go down in history as the greatest! Please set the mark for the world by banning fracking in NY. It's not worth the risk. You will kill us.

My name is Larry S. and I write to you today because I am deeply concerned about the possible commencement of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing in New York State without a Public Health Impact Study.

My name is Carol G. I write today because you need to STAND UP AGAINST THE FORCES THAT WANT TO POISON FOR PROFIT:

1.) NON-DISCLOSURE legislation is being railroaded through state legislatures all over the country so that oil companies do not have to expose the chemicals they inject in the shale (aquifer).

2.) Private Equity firms such as KKR are breaking the law by facilitating the acquisition of leases by phony exploration companies which are fronts for Shell Oil, etc.

3.) EVERY CIVILIZATION IN HISTORY has held WATER to be SACRED. 

WAKE UP!!!!!

Be a hero - not a patsy.

Call on NYS residents to:

- RECYCLE

- BE ENERGY EFFICIENT

- CONSERVE ENERGY

- BE ENTREPRENEURIAL - CREATE AND SUPPORT GREEN COMPANIES.

 

My name is Jessica, mother to 1 year old Laurel. I write today because I am concerned about the lack of thorough and comprehensive study of the health impacts of hydrofracking in New York's shale bed formations. I am dismayed that a health review of the current draft sGEIS (which contains no reference to health impacts of fracking), conducted without public input, could be considered an adequate way of ensuring that the health of New York residents, and the next generation growing up in this state, will not be placed in serious jeopardy by fracking. Evidence is growing across the country of people's health plummeting in areas near hydrofracking operations. In some parts of the country, this may be impacting a handful of families in areas of low population density. But in New York, we would be seeing hydrofracking happening in the heart of our communities, our farms, and our tourist destinations. This puts the health of many, many people at risk, whether through air pollution, water pollution, or the subsequent contamination of our livestock.

 

My name is Dan P. I write today because I am very concerned with the potential and probable negative impact on the health of New Yorkers.

 

My name is Dave E. I write today because of my concern over the possible health consequences of the use of diesel fuel in fracking. I have recently come to understand that diesel fuel is the most commonly-used fracking chemical additive, and the dangers it poses to drinking water supplies should concern us all. Also, the flaring and venting processes of HVHF natural gas wells generally spread dangerous heavier-than-air compounds such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide that can cause significant health problems to anyone close to the wells when these processes occur.

 

My name is Dr. Alicia P. I write today because I believe in life on this planet.  The evidence is clear and sure that drilling for gas is dangerous humans, other living creatures, as well as our land and water.  This is demonstrated in places where gas extraction is currently taking place.  I have been to Pennsylvania and seen as well as felt the dangerous situation.  My nose and throat burned while I was in the nearby areas of fracking.

 

My name is Janice N. I write today because I care about protecting the environment of New York State and the health of all its current and future citizens, as well as all the animals that live in New York State.  It is very, very clear that fracking has been a harmful practice in other states, and that people, animals, and the environment have been harmed by the practice of fracking. I request that you protect us from fracking, and instead invest in alternative renewable energy.

My name is Stacey M. I write today because I am concerned with the potential for fracking in New York State, where we live, work hard, and raise our family.

My name is Judy B. I write today because I care about the health of all New Yorkers.

My name is Yvonne R. I write today because I am deeply concerned about the egregious possibility of fracking. NO, no, no and no Fracking in New York State.

My name is Curt D; I reside in Trumansburg, NY. I write today because of concerns with regard to Marcellus Shale gas extraction in New York State.

My name is Eileen M. I write today because I love the area I live in and the clean water is only part of what can be destroyed by gas drilling.

My name is Ilse F. I write today because this state, and its citizens both close to drilling and far away, will be terribly affected by any drilling from this industry.  Everyone will feel the negative effects via higher prices from agricultural products, because those from NYS will be tainted over time. Higher local taxes as departments struggle to retain passable roads, more numerous chronic health issues stemming from hydrofracking from environmental (air) sources with the release of methane, benzene, radiation. Then there's the eventual vast, seeping ground and water contamination as the retaining ponds overflow with rains/snows - and evaporate to put more contaminants in the air.

My name is Gene P. I write today because a comprehensive public health impact study of high volume hydraulic fracking is essential.

My name is Robert G. I write today because I want the shale gas industry to stay out of New York.

My name is Joy W. You and I worked together at press conferences when you were State Attorney General. At that time, you were taking on the insurance companies that were using a flawed database to pay as little as they possibly could to patients. I was so proud to work with you on that effort. I have faith that you will do the right thing, once again, to "fight the good fight" against big business. I would not be at all surprised, in fact I think it is likely, that the oil and gas companies are promising you a free ride to the white house, IF you allow fracking to take place in New York. What you may not know, is that, if you stand up to the gas/oil companies and say no to fracking, you will have a HUGE base of supporters to whom you will always be our hero. And as our hero, we would push for you to get into the white house, just as we have done for President Obama.  I'm not exaggerating. It is a terribly frightening perspective to imagine the destruction that will occur if fracking is allowed. All New Yorkers would lose if fracking were allowed, but those of us left in its direct wake, would be devastated. Safe water is something that you are concerned enough about that you will not allow fracking close to the biggest cities, but what about those of us in the country? We have wonderfully clean water now. Please do not allow it to be poisoned by fracking chemicals. Governor Cuomo, I know you know what is right here. Be our hero. Stand up against the big gas and oil companies and start leading the country in producing green energy! The number of jobs that would be created by a green energy revolution would get NYS back on it's feet. Please, do what is right. You know that means No Fracking. I trust that you love this beautiful state enough to protect it. Do what your grandfather would have done. Protect the earth. Be our hero.

My name is Migs W. I write today because I care deeply about environmental pollution.

My name is Laura C. I write today because I am very concerned about the potential negative impacts that high volume hydraulic fracking will have on our environment in the Finger Lakes region, as well as other parts of New York.

My name is Texannah S. I write today because to stop hydrofracking.

My name is Anne P. I write today because Please no fracking!

My name is David H. I write today because I am concerned about ground water pollution.

My name is June G. I write today because I am very concerned about my water and health safety when it comes to HVHF.

My name is Brenda L. I write today because I fear that the interests of corporate profits will outweigh those of residents and the environment. It is beyond time that better choices are made, not only for our benefit, but for all creatures we share this planet with. It is time to take our role as stewards seriously and treat this planet with greater respect. Do no harm!

My name is Rebecca C. I write today because as a semi-retired accountant with a strong economics educational background, I can HARDLY BELIEVE the absurd assumptions made in so-called cost/ benefit analyses that supposedly show ANY positive long-term effects from fracking.  And the stakes are extremely high -- the health of people and place would be TERRIBLY DAMAGED if your administration makes a fateful mistake to allow fracking to happen here in NYS.

My name is Donna M. I write today because I have read so many accounts of health problems caused by fracking chemicals.

My name is Daniel S.I write today because Shale Hydraulic fracturing has serious potential for irrevocable long-term damage to health and quality of life of many residents NY State. The current process fails to provide for the vitally important public input on the serious matter of the public health impact of this activity. Failure to undertake such a study and solicit public input during that process is violation of the public trust, and, at the least, leaves the impression that short-term economic interests are being placed above the welfare of NY State residents. Furthermore, given the low price of natural gas today, it makes economic sense to wait until cleaner production methods are developed over the next 10-20 years.

My name is Arthur R. I write today because I am very concerned about the public health safety of HVHF; and I urge you to continue the moratorium on HVHF until the completion of the HVHF.

My name is Jeanne W. I write today because I am AGAINST fracking of ANY kind.

My name is Denise E. I write today because I don't want a Town Rep to decide we don't have a priority of clean land, air and water.  My family deserves more.  My children deserve better.

My name is Nikki L. I've read about climate science for 10 years and about the fracking process for the last 2; the majority of academic scientists and physicians-- those unaffiliated with either gas companies or government--maintain that fracking is a serious health risk & a source of pollution to air & groundwater, at a time when we must instead invest in far greater development of solar, wind & hydro power. Please listen to science; ensure that both you & the DEC resist political & economic pressures in the face of climate warming's speed & the urgent need to preserve vital resources.

My name is Mitchell L. I write today because I'm concerned that the State is not heeding the many health issues that accompany today's gas drilling.

My name is Alice B. I write today because I need to tell you how important it is to NOT allow fracking until we are absolutely certain that the process will not harm the environment, water, our health and ALL future generations.

My name is Laura S. I write today because I am concerned about the reports of fracking destroying water quality.  The potential for leaks of methane, and reports that "fracking" water cannot be treated, made clean, by our current water treatment facilities.  The New York Times had a series of articles Ian Urbina under the title Drilling Down which you can access at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/us/DRILLING_DOWN_SERIES.html .

My name is Mari R. I write today because I continue to be alarmed by the stories of the harm that fracking causes.  Our vulnerable water supply and treasured waterways are at risk of immeasurable and irrevocable damage.

My name is Peter R. I write today because the damage done by hydrofracking to New York's beautiful countryside will not be undone in our lifetimes. Instead, why don't we start to do what will be inevitable, switch to wind and solar power generation? Neither requires the poisoning of our land and water.

My name is Daniel O. I write today because I'm fed up with the DEC's and Department of Health's evident corruption. Why on earth has the state of New York not begun an objective, science-based investigation of the health consequences of fracking? There is only one possible reason: the powers that be in the state are afraid of alienating a powerful corporate interest. I think the state would be wise to invest in a lot of prison uniforms if they plan to allow fracking against the expressed wishes of local communities. I personally know dozens of people who will get arrested and serve time in jail, if it comes to that. We have said NO! over and over again. We mean it. 

My name is Thomas B. I write today because like you I truly love our beautiful outdoors in NY State. We must maintain the moratorium to make proper studies to ensure the health of All That live in this State. To protect the environment for the future of our Children and there offspring. WE WILL BACK YOU UP ON THIS 100%. Bless you and your Family Dear Mr. Cuomo.

My name is Marilyn A. I write today because of my opposition to shale gas extraction "fracking.”

My name is Jean N., MD-Ph.D. I write today as a physician and environmental advocate, because I remain very concerned about the public health and environmental dangers that will result from the practice of hydraulic fracturing anywhere in New York State.

My name is Robert O. I write today because fracking is dangerous.

My name is John M. I write today because the people and resources of New York will suffer if fracking is allowed in New York.

My name is Michelle S. I write today because I a concerned about the environmental and health impacts of fracking in the Marcellus Shale.

My name is Joan W. I write today because I want you to save NY, not destroy it.

My name is Kathleen W. I write today because I'm concerned that the health of New York residents is being put at risk.

My name is Jeff F. I write today because I am an extremely health conscious citizen of Vestal, NY.  I have been a physical therapist for about 20 years and I am alarmed at the prospect of hydrofracking.  No amount of money or short term gain is worth the possibility of polluting and contaminating our water supplies, air, and local land.  If the gas companies are claiming that fracking is not harmful to the environment, then they should be willing to assume total responsibility for all future damages by insuring our homes and properties for full market value and by paying for our relocation expenses when we are forced to leave due to contaminated water.  We greatly appreciate our clean water and we want to keep it that way...no matter what.

My name is Gary H. I write today because the environment and us are inseparable.

My name is Elizabeth A. I write today because I am concerned about the public health impacts due to air pollution and water pollution caused by Shale Oil and Gas Development.  My mother lives in the Southern Tier, and my family vacations on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes each summer.  I live in North Carolina, and I hope that NY will lead the nation to determine the public health impacts resulting from exposure to wastewater and air pollution caused by extraction of natural gas in PA.  Please do not allow Shale Gas or Oil development to occur in NY using High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing until laws and best practices are put in place to reduce health impacts caused by this industry.

My name is Katie Q.-J. I write today because I am concerned about the lack of a NYS Study on the Health Impacts of fracking.  PLEASE read this article, "Fracking Ourselves to Death in Pennsylvania" by Ellen Cantarow, to understand why my family farm (and all the animals and people who live on it) is at risk for serious, possibly fatal, injury from exposure to fracking operations.

My name is Susan T. I write today because you must protect NY from Fracking.

My name is Free R. I write today because water is the most valuable resource.

My name is Kerensa C. I write today because I am concerned about the health and environmental impacts of fracking and want further investigation before we potentially poison our water supply and establish further infrastructure.

My name is Larry A. I write today because I oppose Hydraulic Fracturing in NYS because OF THE THREAT of contamination of the waters in NYS.

My name is Carla S.  I write today because I am asking that you not allow high volume hydraulic fracturing or any significant increased amount of drilling for gas…in New York State without first doing a thorough and objective health impact study.  I am not confident that the DOH is doing what is necessary to date.

My name is Gloria F. I’m working with you for fair elections in NY State. Fair elections mean little unless we have a healthy environment, water, land and air in NY State.  There are essential peer reviewed scientific studies that show that “fracking” is very unhealthy for people, animals, the overall environment and NY’s economy. Please see Dr. Anthony Ingraffea’s work and his plan that would allow NY State to be totally on clean energy by 2020.  Governor Cuomo you could be seen as a great leaders for our country and the world if you would in fact use legitimate scientific studies that do not have the heavy hand of the oil/gas industry blocking truth.

My name is Nicole D. I write today because I am a mother, a special education teacher and a person who really cares about our community - the adults, children and creatures that live in it!

My name is Judith C. I write today as co-founder of the New York Climate Action Group and a resident of New York City and State. We join with other groups and individuals who speak for and have committed themselves to protect the natural resources of our state, its people, wildlife, farm animals, vineyards, dairy products, forests, and waters. For New York State to remain the beautiful place that it is, with rivers and streams running clean or recovering from past pollution, we must not allow gas companies to do high volume hydraulic fracturing here. I recognize that vertical hydrofracking has been going on for some time, and it has caused damage to the environment and to the people who live nearby - for example, Buffalo. But the extreme devastation of horizontal, high-volume "fracking", as we see in our neighbor state, Pennsylvania, home of my birth, has been massive and irreversible. Another concern is that fracking would very likely release radon into the gas pipelines and wastewater, that the economics of fracking make it a quick scheme for gas drilling companies to further fatten their coffers, risk the money of their investors, and ruin the homes, water, food, and health for those unfortunate people who lease their lands to the gas drillers, and to their neighbors who may or may not have also signed on but who are also affected by the stew of proprietary chemicals pumped into the shale beneath their houses and the land deep under their feet, the deep-shale minerals that may well escape into the wastewater, the potential for earthquakes, the heavy industrial traffic and ozone smog on their roads. In addition, the victims of fracking in other states have found that their mortgages are no longer carried by the local banks, and their property is no longer insurable. And the terrible consequences of fracking include one that threatens us all - the inevitable leakage and out-gassing of methane into the atmosphere, moving us ever closer to runaway climate catastrophe, which is a scenario more and more disturbing to science as it becomes clearer that we are on a runaway train moving headlong to an unknown future for our children. If we give the gas drilling companies the chance to drill in our state, we turn our backs upon the marvelous potential for renewable energy as an answer to the economic woes of upstate New York and the energy needs downstate. Governor Cuomo, you know that you would be closing the door to a clean, sustainable energy future if you support HVHF, and you would take your place along with the governors of Pennsylvania, Texas, Wyoming, North Dakota, Ohio and other states who will be held responsible alongside Cabot, Chesapeake and the other gas companies in sealing our fate. For these reasons the New York Climate Action Group and our allied groups demand that you NOT release an order to the Department of Environmental Conservation to allow fracking in our state, and that you sign legislation that may be forthcoming to institute a permanent ban on HVHF activities.

My name is Jennifer C.-R., MS., Ed. I write today because I am dismayed to learn of the numerous issues associated with potential hydrofracking in our state.  Not only is hydraulic fracturing horrible for our environment, but right down to our very life line - clean air and drinking water - will be inevitably affected.  As a teacher and a mother, I cannot stand by and allow this to happen.  Even with clear regulation, I fear there will not be enough feet on the ground to do a thorough enough job to assure the health of our communities.  I distrust the ability of regulation when the DEC keeps getting funding cuts, and they will ultimately be held responsible for the safety of New York State. I ask: why does the promise of money ALWAYS trump our common sense?  We do have common sense, do we not?  We are the great New York State, after all.  I demand that we set a precedent for all states.  Please, I beg of you, please use your greatest sense of what is right.  Please protect our children.  Please allow us to live harmoniously.  Please do not bow down to the promise of greater financial wealth.  We cannot eat money.

My name is Ingrid G. I write today because the possibility that NYS can be opened to HVHF without a comprehensive public health impact study is something that too many New Yorkers know…is too big to ignore.

My name is Margot B. I write today because I don't feel I could face my grandchildren in another 10 years if I don't take some action to stop this mindless run that contributes to the destruction of this (their) planet.

I am Delia Y., a life-long New York State Resident. I love this state and I care deeply about it's people, economy and environment both upstate and down. Our future requires clean water for NYC residents from the watersheds upstate and for all of the residents upstate dependant on well water and municipal watersheds. I have worked as a buyer at the state's largest food coop in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Foods produced in New York State are prized both because they are local and because unlike products produced in Pennsylvania they are garanteed to not be contaminated by the many by-products of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF). There is a huge unfulfilled market for local and sustainably grown products. Buck the pressure from the gas industry and Washington to stand with your consituents, the residents of New York, for a healthy and prosperous future.

My name is David R. I write today because I live in New York State, and see that all of us in this state are in danger of having our water, our natural environment, our built infrastructure, our very health and livelihoods ruined by the perceived need for more state dollars and the oil and gas industry's willingness to give those dollars in exchange for the right to rape our state.  I deplore that this sham of reviews, from the DEC's deplorably inadequate Revised Draft Supplemental GEIS to whatever the DOH secret review by one person concludes, is the "evidence" upon which the future of the whole Empire State's people rests.  So it's up to you, Governor Cuomo, to pull the fat back out of the fire and fulfill the full, thorough, and independent set of reviews that DEC Commissioner Martens and the Union of Concerned Scientists have laid out.

My name is Julie S. I write today because I am opposed to the continued raping of our Earth under the latest guise of fracking.

My name is James S. I write today because we need your help.

My name is Cameron B. I write today because I am terrified of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing in New York State or anywhere else.

[My name is] Zorika H. I am writing to ask that an objective, rigorous health study be undertaken on the potential health and environmental effects of fracking in New York State. Shale regions elsewhere in the country where unconventional, high-volume hydrofracking has been allowed have had serious environmental and health problems.

My name is Judith K. I write today because I have researched this subject for hundreds of hours, attending many hearings and conferences and am convinced that there is no safe way to use hydrofracking to extract natural gas and that the consequences are so devastating as to be unacceptable.  A comprehensive Public Health Impact Study will show this.  Moreover, your shining example of cultivating energy sustainability and jobs through the "green" sector will be destroyed.  New York, thanks to your leadership, has embarked on a promising path that rivals any state in the country.  If you turn your back on this you will no longer be a leader, you will be just another "politician" among the many be trampled under by the gas companies as they descend on the state like wolves to tear it apart for profit and then move on to the next target.

My name is Shayna A. I write today because I'm very concerned about the impact of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") on the health of the public, and I want to be absolutely sure that I and my family are safe.

My name is Nancy M. I write today because I love NY and it breaks my heart to think that all the beauty that surrounds us could be so easily destroyed if HVHF is allowed to happen here.  It is a sunny day today and that means we are making our hot water and electricity from the sunshine.  We have personally invested in a clean energy future and many of our neighbors are about to do the same.  Please check out SolarizeTompkinsSE.org to see what wonderful work the communities of Danby, Caroline, and Dryden are working on.  It is very exciting.  Right now we are making more power than we need and sending it back to the grid.  Please listen to the citizens of NY who elected you -- we want a clean energy future and are depending on you to lead us down that path.

My name is Nancy G. I write today because I have had a life long relationship with the beautiful Fingerlakes region.  As a child, I spent my summers at my grandparents’ cottage on Canandaigua Lake. In 1989, My husband and I decided to relocate our family to Honeoye Lake in hopes that our children would grow up learning to love and appreciate the beauty of living in this incomparable area. Through the years I have promised to be a good steward of the area that has touched my family for generations. My children are grown now and my grandchildren are growing up in this picturesque town where life continues at a slower, more gentle pace. I am so proud to live in the little Hamlet of Honeoye. This close-knit community has come together and had the courage and tenacity to try to place a binding ban on hydrofracturing.  At this time, we need you to do the right thing. We need you to protect our water, property, and the overall health and wellbeing.Governor Cuomo, I have been impressed with the courage you've shown in tackling tough and often unpopular issues during your time in office.  Please, show us that you can stand with us once again by calling for the completion of a comprehensive Public Health Impact Study of Volume Hydraulic Fracturing.

My name is Shyam O. I write today because I am concerned about the possible effects of fracking on health and the environment.  I ask you to require and thorough and honest scientific study of these effects that uses data from Pennsylvania, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, Wyoming and other states where fracking has already been done.

[My name is] Henrietta W. I am a mother and grandmother and it is my job to protect my children and every other mother and grandmother's children during this lifetime. I have written you before about your secret Health Study.  Why are we New Yorkers -- we whom you have
sworn to protect -- among us, great scientists and doctors (hundreds of whom have written you protesting fracking in New York State) kept out of the loop of this Health Study?  How can only a few of your hand-picked scientists do an in-depth study of fracking whenthe EPA with hundreds of scientists and trainloads of equipment have taken years and still have not completed their research????I'm sorry to tell you that I feel that your secret Department of Health Review is a smoke screen contrived by political and corporate lust for money.  I believe that you and too many other high ranking officials feel that money is better for us all than our health and our environment-especially our fresh water supplies.  I do not believe that you think several generations ahead when you think about fracking.In all conscience I beg and demand that you maintain New York's Marcellus Shale gas extraction moratorium until your Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner, Dr. Nirav R. Shah, completes a COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT STUDY OF HIGH VOLUME HYDRAULIC FRACTURING.Even your own DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens in 2012 publicly pointed out the massive public discontent with DEC's assessment of potential shale gas extraction health impacts.  He said "Fundamentally, I want to make sure that we have done the most thorough review possible, especially when it comes to public health concerns. YOU should be the Governor who is the first in the United States to say "I want my people to be safe.  Our state is too filled with good water and beauty to set to waste".  No other governor on the shale grid has taken a stand for their people nor their water and their states have suffered increasingly ominous disruption and hazardous spills.  YOU should be the one to engage the best of our private and academic scientists to offer the highest and best Public Health Impact Study of high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the US.

My name is Cheryl C. I write today because I do not want children to become sick from hydrofracking operations. Hydrofracking has not been shown to be safe; studies show worsening health among people living near gas wells, compressor stations and waste pits. Mary Imogene Bassett Medical Center Board of Trustees (Cooperstown, NY) stated, “The adverse health effects on the population we serve would far outstrip our knowledge or capacity to provide care.”

My name is Stephen D. I write today because I am a well-informed resident of Manhattan and am adamantly opposed to high volume hydraulic fracturing in New York State for many reasons. I feel it is incumbent on all citizens who feel as I do to hold you accountable as an elected official to the state guidelines which define a clear procedure for reviewing the environmental impact of HVHF.

My name is Terry B. I write today because I am concerned about fracking.

My name is Jim S. I write today because I am appalled by recent developments that include learning of Inergy's constant violations of dumping poisons in Seneca Lake and of the compromised SGEIS due to having let the industry supporters do the consulting. What a mess. Here is how you can help clean this up. Dump the SGEIS and start over and vacate any contracts with Inergy on Seneca Lake to safeguard the drinking water for 100, 000 New Yorkers.

My name is John R., and I live in Tompkins County in upstate NY.   I moved here from South Caroline, because of the clean air and clean water of the Finger Lakes region. I write today because this clean air and water is threatened by the current multiple dangers of our reliance on fossil fuels and misguided efforts to harvest the last most-difficult deposits of shale gas from miles below the surface. I am an investor in the Black Oak Wind Farm, part of a community owned project to develop clean energy in upstate NY. You have the power to protect your state, by dropping the grossly inadequate "health review" performed by industry apologists, or demanding a real Health Study, subject to scientific peer review, and based on publicly available information and conducted in an open and honest manner.

My name is Kristina T. I write today because I live and work and vote in New York. I write because I am a landowner and care deeply about all that live on our beautiful 65 acres -- including my family.  We have lived here for 34 years, maintaining a garden, eating the wild berries and greens that Nature has provided, enjoying the sounds of peepers in our pond and birds in our fields and woods.  One mistake, one spill, one overlooked valve or leak could instantly spell disaster to our community's water or air. You bear a heavy responsibility to protect New York.  I do not know where we would go if HVHF came here, but we would want to get out of danger.    Certainly we would not want to eat food grown here, or drink milk from cows grazing here, or drink wine or beer made here.  Who would? DO NO HARM.

My name is James T. I write today because I am a resident of the Town of Vestal and after a long and carefully researched study of hydrofracking using my training and experience as a research scientist and university professor, I am shocked by the extreme danger to our public health and our environment that this activity represents. I spent 30 years in the NYS Public Health Laboratory, the Wadsworth Center, and am familiar with many of the toxic issues that the Center has addressed. In fact, I personally worked on one of them. The scale and exposures from dangerous chemicals injected into our precious clean water and air by fracking is beyond precedence. How can an industry that obtained a Federal exemption from our major environmental legislation be considered safe? The carefully documented studies needed before such activity is approved have not been done. The science you stated that should be used to make this decision has not been done. My water and that of hundreds of thousands of others is as sacred as that of NYC and Syracuse, as is the air we ALL breathe. Thus, the only sensible course is to extend NYS’s moratorium until we truly have the facts that are generated and discussed in an open transparent manner with all potential conflicts of interested clearly expressed. This is the only course forward for a democratic transparent government. I, my family and friends voted for you and are confident you will do the right thing. Other states, and indeed, other nations are watching carefully the actions New York State will take in protecting the health of its citizens, and the sanctity of its environment.  Lead the way in this endeavor, Governor Cuomo.

 

My name is Maureen H. I write today because I am appalled that you have not yet moved to protect New York State -- the land and its people -- from the dangers of hydrofracking, the extreme gas infrastructure build-out that has commenced, and all other activities related to this destructive process.

 

My name is Laura D. I write today because I am vitally concerned about the health impacts that have already occurred in Pennsylvania because of horizontal hydraulic fracturing and do not want the same to happen in New York State. What we see in Pennsylvania is only just beginning to emerge -- spontaneous bleeding, headaches, body aches, foggy thinking processes, animals that miscarry at higher rates than pre-fracking...and the list goes on. I am a resident of both the Catskills area and in New York City -- we cannot afford to have this kind of health devastation in New York State. 

 

My name is Audrey T. I write today because I feel that as a NYS science educator you need to investigate all sides of the Marcellus Shale gas extraction issue. I have friends who live in Scranton, Pennsylvania who are dealing with all the problems from hydrofracking in their backyard. Please listen to our issues.

 

My name is Patricia M. I write today because fracking is dangerous.

 

My name is Kelly M. I write today because I have written before and I am not sure my message and the message of tens of thousands of New Yorkers is being heard by you.  We really won't know until you use the political position and power that you have earned to ban fracking in New York.  Scientifically studying the effects of fracking where it is happening already is certainly a good idea and an important thing to do so that we know as much as possible about these effects and more importantly feel %100 sure that those effects are so negative that hydraulic fracturing should really not be done anywhere, but certainly not in the pristine, populated rural communities of New York state where watersheds abound, where food is grown, where people live their lives.  But many of us who have been conducting our own research simply by listening to the people who live in the areas where fracking is happening, reading about the accidents, the animal deaths, the tortuous human illness from exposure to fracking fluids, earthquakes from injection wells, poisoned air and water, and secrecy in the name of proprietary information that keeps information that could prevent harm from people, and doctors. Many of us don't need to hear or know any more than that to know that fracking should be banned.  And, we believe that you, if you really looked these issues in the face, if you went to PA yourself to the fracking sites and met with the people who are being harmed or looked at the water that is being poisoned, could come to no other conclusion yourself. Sometimes we need a scientific paper as proof of something, sure. But, sometimes we just need to see for ourselves and know from the depths of our own humanity what is right and what is so clearly wrong. Please, just look for yourself, Governor. Go and look for yourself. You won't need any studies. Ban fracking until such studies prove there is no harm! This will never happen. The harm is already happening. Look at the accidents happening right now: gas explosions, earthquakes, sinkholes, chemical spills, oil spills, truck accidents leading to spills. I hope you see these news accounts and they are not kept from you by people who don't want you to see them.  Just in case, I will start sending them to you. O.K., thanks for listening.

 

My name is Claudia S. I write today because I am very concerned about the impact shale gas extraction would have on the quality of life for all the residents of New York. This is based on my belief that good health is more valuable than "all the tea in China" (or, all the gas in New York).

 

My name is Sherry L. I write today because I'm adding my voice.

 

My name is Jeanie G. I write today because there is no sufficient buffer planned for rural residential water wells. ALL children and families should have the maximum protections from dangerous industrial activities.

 

My name is Andrea G. I write today because I do not want Fracking in Upstate New York.

 

My name is Marcia R. I write today because I am convinced that this, the most crucial environmental issue of our generation, is going to be largely decided by those in the state government who take the time to thoroughly review the relevant evidence.

 

My name is Laura B. I write today because we need much more time to do the science before we frack.

 

My name is Theresa A. I am concerned about the potential health effects of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. We have been hearing for several years about health effects on people and animals living in the vicinity. Now we are also hearing from people working in the shale gas industry who have become disabled from chemical exposure.

 

My name is Pat H. I write today because I am concerned about the future health of my children and grandchildren, and the health of the beautiful, unique land that makes up NY state -- and especially the Finger Lakes.

 

My name Elsa L. I write today because I am extremely concerned about the negative impacts of fracking on our irreplaceable water supply and the environment and that process will adversely affect the public health. There is ample evidence from fracking carried out in other states, that these issues are a huge problem.

 

My name is Anna E. I write today because I am a concerned citizen of NYS. My in-laws live on Cayuga Lake and I am concerned about the irreversible impact that hydrofracking will have on our unique Finger Lakes resource.

 

My name is Paul P. I write today because I am very concerned about high volume hydraulic fracturing in the Finger Lakes.

My name is Jean C.  My family lived on Love Canal.  I believe my family members died decades before their time because of their exposure to pollution.  It can take many years for illness to be recognized, diagnosed and treated, I ask that you do whatever is within your power to prevent hydrofracking in New York State until it has been thoroughly studied and generally agreed to be safe. Technology is improving.  What might not be safe today could be safe in five years, with better methods of extraction and processing of waste.  The toll to our ecology, to life itself is not worth the risk.  Hydrofracking must be thoroughly studied and understood before a decision to allow it in New York is made. 

My name is Shirley K. I write today because I am concerned that if hydrofracking is permitted, the consequences may be devastating.  New York State already has a large number of sites contaminated by industrial pollutants.  Please do not add to them.  No independent study has been done of the potential health impacts of this process.  Even if it were possible that hydrofracking could be done safely, there will always be accidents.  The consequences of such accidents could contaminate soil and water for a very long time.  Fracking is not safe for humans, livestock, or wildlife.

 

My name is ________. I write today because I am an Otsego County legislator deeply concerned about the lack of a comprehensive health impact study in regards to HVHF. My personal story is one like many others; born and raised in upstate NY [I] left the Empire State for greener pastures-yet returned just after 9/11 deeply moved by the beauty that is upstate N.Y. I returned to this area for the clean air and water and the rolling hills and pastures of my childhood. In PA, in WY, in CO, in TX, in ND, in OH, in OK, in WV people are suffering the ill effects of fracking. I truly hope you will not allow NY to be added to this list. My friend Carol in PA thought she had the perfect lease and that she and her family were protected from the ill effects of fracking. She was wrong and now her cows and her family are ill with skin lesions and other disorders. And she still ships her milk to market. Sick cows=sick food. And we consume it. We need to know if this will make our children ill. I think we have the right to frack-free food, don't you? Your recent NY Fresh initiatives will be in jeopardy if people downstate refuse our upstate fracked food for fear of illness. This is not the way to grow the upstate economy.

 

My name is Gerard T. I write today because I'm concerned about the waters in NY.

My name is Daniel H.  I write today because I am not willing to sacrifice the environment of the Finger Lakes area just to make money for gas companies and a few others, including myself.  I own approximately 150 acres just north of Moravia, halfway between Owasco Lake and Skaneateles Lake and, along with my wife, stand to make a lot of money if large-scale fracking comes to this area.  I retired here from 30 years with the Department of Defense (civilian, though I am a combat veteran of the war in Vietnam) precisely because of the rural and other special aspects of this area.  I bring almost $100,000 of outside money to spend in this community every year, but will have to reconsider if large-scale fracking or fracking-related problems come to this area.   I know fracking is hard to resist, but we should at least keep it out of the Finger Lakes area.  Once one of these sensitive lakes is ruined, recovery will be almost impossible. At the very least, we should delay a decision until the state can arrange a comprehensive health-effects study that meets the requirements of peer-review in the scientific and medical communities. The current study produced by an affiliate of the gas industry makes a mockery of the entire process and of your involvement in it.

My name is Lynne T. I write today because of my concern for the future of our state.

My name is Lindsay G. I am concerned that, due to pressure and potential political contributions from mining interests, you will do irrevocable harm to the water, air, land, as well as agriculture and tourism of New York, by permitting hydrofracking for natural gas in this state. What has been going on in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, and many other less regulated states will come back to haunt them for centuries. People who want to live where they can drink the water will choose to move here, if you hold the line. New York should follow the example of Germany, the world's most solar-powered country, and become the alternate and renewable energy capital of the US! In Onondaga County, we are experiencing the problems associated with the destruction of Onondaga Lake by Solvay Chemical Process, now Honeywell, which has put heavy metals into that lake to an extent that will never be able to be cleaned up. The material that is being dredged from the bottom of that lake is now being placed into the Camillus wate beds, and is making the neighborhoods surrounding the whole area unlivable. People are sick. they can't sell their houses. When they finish what is only an inadequate, lite, cleanup, they will cap the lake bottom with sand, and expect people to forget the toxicity of what is contained there. If you permit these partially offshore-owned gas businesses to do this far more environmentally insidious toxic process, the results to public health and real-estate values and our state economy will dwarf what we have in Syracuse associated with Honeywell. Please consider this as you think of your political futures, Governor Cuomo and Commissioner Martens.

My name is Ross H. and I live in Danby in the Finger Lakes. I write today because of the seriousness and urgency regarding health issues associated with all the many aspects of FRACKING. These issues may and will apply to current and future generations of New Yorkers and require the highest level of medical input. This cannot be done with a review of a flawed and limited study which intentionally refuses to deal with any cumulative effects. As captain of the Ship of State, I urge you to direct Dr. Shah to immediately abandon the DOH public health review start the DOH study that this issue deserves. The Empire State deserves no less than such a study.

My name is Julia M. I write today because of my concern about hydro-fracking for our environment.

My name is Mrs. Tammy R. I write today because I attended Earth Day events on the Oneonta campus this week and the students local and downstate do not look upon their governor favorably by carrying on the moratorium on fracking. I was pressed, they understand all the data and science and cannot understand why YOU Gov. Cuomo have not BANNED HYDROFRACKING. A lot of local students are upset watching their parents deal with the Constitution Pipeline and trying to stop fracking. One thing [imparted] to the students: you are of voting age now get out there and vote for a governor and other elected [officials] that hear your concerns with climate change and fracking and vote in people that will stop playing around with renewable energy and make it happen on a large/fast scale! 

My name is Tim M. I write today because I am very concerned about the impact of hydraulic fracturing on the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions. My name is Gale Lyons. I write today because I would very much like you to go down in history as the Hero instead of the man who destroyed our beautiful state with fracking.

My name is Eileen F. I write today because I treasure the quality of life I now enjoy in Madison County, New York.  I know that this will change if fracking comes to my area.  And I am prepared to leave the state if fracking is allowed.

My name is Gale L. I write today because I would very much like you to go down in history as the Hero instead of the man who destroyed our beautiful state with fracking.

My name is Esther H. I write today because I want NY to ban the practice of hydrofracturing for gas. I have been writing you about this for at least 2 years. I still feel the same.  Let's invest in clean tech and be safe from the poison that comes with fracking.  Keep our air, water and land clean and healthy.  Keep my only investment, my home, a place I can live and leave to my son where he can live without owing our souls to the gas industry for potable water they bring in tanks.  my well is great. Cayuga Lake is great.  The wine industry is great.  Clean air is great.  These things are not optional. Let's leave it as good or better then it is now.

My name is Sharon L. I write today because I am greatly concerned about the prospect of hydraulic fracturing in New York State and the potential adverse effects on the environment, local agriculture, tourism, and public health. As someone who worked in health care (I am a retired diagnostic medical sonographer), I find the issue of public health extremely important.

My name is John V. I write today because I want to implore you to complete the Public Health Impact Study before any decision is made on HFHF. Evidence continues to mount as to the detrimental effects of this practice on humans, animals, and the environment. You must not ignore all the cumulative damage already done in states allowing this practice.

My name is Dr. Ronald B. I write today because I care about the health of my family and neighbors. As a biochemist with more than thirty years of government, industrial and academic experience, I know better than most people how effectively the petrochemical industry hides its "dirty laundry" and externalizes environmental and human health costs onto whomever it can foist them. Regrettably, there is evidence that this has been done in New York with the collusion of some employees of our own Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). If you have not been presented with this evidence, I would be happy to provide it to you. But for now, please consider my request for an independent, comprehensive Public Health Impact Assessment of shale oil and gas development.

My name is Matthew L. I write today because I want to live in upstate NY and be able to drink the water, breath the air, enjoy the wildlife and appreciate nature. Fracking threatens every natural thing in NY State.

My name is Marilyn A. I write today because of my opposition to gas drilling in our beautiful NY!

My name is Andrew K. I was born and raised in Rochester, have spent and still spend a great deal of time in the Finger Lakes, and currently reside in Manhattan, where I have been the better part of the last decade.  As someone who greatly appreciates and regularly sees most ALL parts of our amazing and truly unique State, I want to voice my serious concerns related to Fracking in the hopes that it NEVER occurs here.  The potential "benefits" of gas extraction -- even including financial benefits to landowners who earn rents on drill sites, or the admittedly much needed tax revenue for the state -- are overwhelmingly outweighed by the seriously negative environmental and community impacts associated with the process. We do not want our ponds, streams, rivers, and -- personally most importantly -- our beautiful and entirely singular Finger Lakes contaminated with Fracking chemicals or gasses or other pollutants.  We do not want our drinking water supplies endangered, be they an individual's shallow well or the magnificent natural watersheds that feed New York City through the aqueducts.  We do not want millions of gallons of spent chemicals sitting in tanks or pools, waiting to be "recycled" or trucked away, at risk of leaking.  We do not want hundreds of trucks (be they "thumper," tanker, trailer, or otherwise) constantly running down our roadways, creating traffic, noise pollution, and air pollution.  We do not want our forests turned into clear-cut well pads.  We do not want to see the once quiet and dark sky dotted with ominous flames burning off waste gasses that are too volatile or dirty to be sold along with the safe or useful "production" methane.  (As to these last few points, it is striking to see how many well pads and gas flares there now are in Pennsylvania -- something I often see and comment on as I make my way from NYC to Western NY). Plainly, my point is NONE of these risks is worth it.  Let's focus our resources and attention on things that matter and that do not harm our State's beauty, resources, or people.  And in the energy sector specifically, let's work on research and development on sustainable energy, be that through biofuels, more efficient PV panels, smaller wind turbines, et cetera.

My name is June G. I write today because facts have shown that gas extraction by means of HVHF are not safe nor are the consultants not tied to gas trade groups/conflict of interest.

My name is Clare C. I write today because, as a lifelong resident of New York State and having lived the last 50 of those years in the Southern Tier amidst woods and ponds, I truly love the variety of natural beauty in this area. We have seen up close and personal the multiple negative effects of HVHF in nearby PA. We do not want any of that here in NYS.  You have the chance of becoming a historical leader of not only NY but of the USA and of the world - by putting New York's efforts into renewable energy and the jobs that they will create, instead of putting money into corporate profits in the short run, and leaving an unhealthy mess in the long run.

My name is Carola S. I write today because of my deep belief that Shale Gas extraction is the wrong way forward.

My name is Deirdre W. I write today because I love NY; am raising my children here and I vote.

My name is Anna W. I am very concerned about the dangers and toxic chemicals associated with Fracking. The fracking process uses toxic chemicals. I don't understand how your Health Study would prove otherwise.  I have my retirement property in the Southern Tier (Harpursville).  I cannot stay in New York if you approve Fracking.  I cannot take a chance of being poisoned or harmed in anyway from the toxic chemicals.   My quality of life would be ruined, my enjoyment of my property would be taken away just so other countries can have our gas. We need Solar and Wind which is so safe.  New York is so beautiful.  Fracking will ruin it.  Please do not approve Fracking.

My name is Elizabeth C. I write today because I care deeply about the health and long-term economy of our town of Otego and our region in the western Catskills. My family and I have cared for our 70 acres for over thirty years, enjoying and developing our small farm where we grow all our own vegetables, sharing them with our neighbors and friends. The threat of HVHF gas drilling has ruined property values already, and prevents banks from giving mortgages to people to build new homes. What will become of our town and village if no one can get a mortgage or even homeowner's insurance? Our town's zoning currently does not permit any industry, light or heavy, in its residential districts -- yet this has not stopped people from leasing their land. While I support the rights of individuals to pursue happiness and prosperity, this cannot come at the expense of others' rights to the same things. If HVHF is allowed by NYS, we will have to fight for our right to home rule town-by-town, increasing the already fractious nature of this issue.  We are fortunate to live in an area with pure drinking water, clean air, and no noise pollution -- all things necessary for good physical and mental wellbeing. Please stand behind our rights to these things, and do not permit the greedy gas industry to ruin our land and communities. The boom-bust cycle of gas drilling is well known -- don't make that your legacy to NYS. Protect the rights of all citizens of NYS to have clean, protected drinking water -- not just those who live in New York City. Protect our rights to grow uncontaminated food, and breathe unpolluted air. If we put effort into clean, renewable energy, we can make NYS a model for the nation and have a gift to subsequent generations. But even if we don't do that, we can at least preserve what we have. Please place health -- physical, mental, economic, and community health -- above everything else.

My name is Janet B. and I write today because what is being touted as a Public Health Impact Study of HVHF is not true.  The study is being done with a veil of secrecy. How can it be a public study when, we the public, cannot get a straight answer?  Governor Cuomo you are the steward to our land, water and air. Stand up to big Oil & Gas.  Be a leader and show the rest of the country that renewable energies are the future.  There is nothing more important than fresh air and clean water.

My name is Aimee A. I write today as a concerned resident of Central and Western NY.

My name is John H.  I currently live in Ithaca, NY, and have lived in the Finger Lakes region for almost 40 years now.   I've seen quite a comeback for some signature species including eagles and bears.  I want very much for this beautiful area to continue to be a healthy and nurturing environment for all the plants, animals, and people that live here!

My name is Jesse B. I write today because I am very concerned about, but not only, the health of our beautiful state.

My name is Barbara D. I write today as a local citizen in Broome County, NY because I am extremely concered about the public health implications of HVHF.  Clean air and water are too valuable to chance.

My name is Maude R. I am writing you today to urge you not to allow fracking in New York State.

My name is Susan T. I write today because I am very concerned about the impact of drilling for gas using high volume hydraulic fracturing, both in terms of the risks it poses to health and the environment and to the future value of property in areas where drilling might take place.

My name is Dr. Glenn S. I write today because I am opposed to fracking.  You said that you would base your decision regarding fracking in New York on SCIENCE.  There is overwhelming science that tells us that fracking is unsafe.  It is imperative that you begin a new STUDY of the risks of fracking; a review is not enough.

My name is Jean G. I write today because you need to realize the serious implications for the future if Fracking is allowed.

My name is Philip K. I write today because I want to urge you to continue the moratorium against hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale regions of New York State. To do otherwise will incur the wrath of many members of the public at large. Hydrofracking stands to have pervasive and irreversible impacts upon the quality of our water aquifer systems, through Appalachia.

My name is Melissa J. I write today because I think it would be a grave mistake and a tragedy to allow hydrofracking in NY State.

My name is Kate B., and I write today because I am worried about me, my children, my friends and neighbors, my co-workers, the farmers, the business people, the laborers, the bus drivers, the school workers, and everyone else in this State!  I am worried about the health of everyone in New York!

My name is Alicia F. I write today because I know you need public support to make decisions based on the long-term needs of your constituents, especially when they conflict with short-term profits.

My name is Beverly H. of Genoa, New York.  When I first moved to this state forty years ago, I thought it was an enlightened one.  Now, I am not so sure! I write today because you need to act responsibly to protect New Yorkers from the well-known dangers of gas [and] oil extraction.  On Al Shartok's call-in program, I told your dad that I was disappointed in changes in him when he was governor.  Are you going to "sell-out" to corporations, too?  Responsible action would be a platform for a run for the White House.  Think in the long term, not the short run!  Act carefully!

My name is Stephanie S. I write today because I believe that you will read what I have to say and be truly open to considering my concerns. You have impressed me thus far with your non-partisan, focused efforts to get things accomplished in your job -- something that (in my humble opinion) has become far too rare. I understand that you are under a lot of pressure and interested in boosting the NY economy and bringing jobs to the state. However, if you are worried also about your own track record and you want to be in good standing years from now when you are a part of NY state history, it would behoove you to disallow fracking in NY. I am deeply troubled by fracking (I don't know a lot of the correct terms, but I'm sure you will understand what I mean). I have a very dear friend, Clare, who lives in Pennsylvania. I really think you should go there and talk to people in that state. The fracking companies are just that – companies -- and they do not have the well-being of the people in mind. You do. Clare tells me that the fracking companies have patented the combination of chemicals that they use, so when someone gets injured by the chemicals, the companies won't tell the doctors what the person has been exposed to and it takes a long time for that person to be properly treated. She also tells me that medical professionals who work on individuals that have been exposed to said chemicals are themselves getting sick as a result of exposure. I am gravely concerned for the health and well-being of not only the people of the state of NY, but the wildlife and the environment, too. If you believe that tourism Upstate should continue, then you will not support fracking. If you believe that public health care (ie: Medicaid) expenditures should be reduced by preventing the need for expensive medical treatment, then you will not support fracking. The pollution caused by fracking is devastating and we are only now seeing the tip of the Iceberg of the negative consequences of fracking. You won't be in charge by the time we have to deal with all of that hazardous waste, so perhaps you don't care very much, but I don't think that is true. I believe you do care. Please, do not just go through the motions with studies on the impact of fracking. Future generations of our state are depending on you to really get the facts -- as unfortunate as they may be -- about fracking. The appeal of fracking is short-term. Know that I and many other of your constituents will continue to vote for you and support you, even if we don't have those few added jobs and that extra bit of economic development. We will be able to look back on these times and proudly say that we voted for "Andrew Cuomo, the man who really cared about NYers and did the right thing, even if it was tough," instead of "Andrew Cuomo, the guy who mostly did well but then there was that fracking fiasco and boy was he wrong about that!" Don't give in to the pressure. Do take your time and really get the facts. You will be so glad that you did. And please do go talk to people in Pennsylvania about this (citizens, not fracking company executives or employees). I am so sure that they will give you the information you need in order to understand how your constituents will feel about you if you allow fracking in our beautiful state.

My name is Celia M. I write today because I am afraid that hydrofracking in NYS will contaminate our drinking water supply, cause health issues and negatively impact the economy and value of property.

My name is Theresa J. I write today because I oppose gas drilling in New York State.

My name is Melynda. I write today because I drink water.

My name is Elizabeth T. I write today because I'm very concerned about the health effects of hydro-fracking.

My name is Patricia S. I write today because I am gravely concerned about the health impact of fracking.  Our water supply is precious and finite.  Fracking poses to high a risk to our water supply.  I live upstate; my water supply is just as important as the water supply downstate.  The water of ALL New Yorkers must be protected.

 

My name is Kathryn T. I write to you today because I am a life long resident of the beautiful Fingerlakes region. My husband and I have made a commitment to be good stewards of land that has been in the family for generations. We are so happy to live in the little town of Enfield, where our friends and neighbors have had the courage to enact a ban on hydrofracturing. I am proud to call myself a Cuomo supporter, and I have been so pleased with the courage you've demonstrated in taking on very tough and sometimes unpopular issues since you've taken office. The issue I am writing of is one more such issue that will take all the courage and intention you can muster on behalf of the people of New York State. We need you to do the right thing to protect our water, our property, and the overall health and well being of all New Yorkers - to show that New York is not for sale to the highest bidding environmental exploiter, but rather that it is indeed the perfect place to raise a family or to open a business. Please show us that you can stand for us on this issue, the way you've stood on other tough issues, by calling for the completion of a comprehensive Public Health Impact Study of Volume Hydraulic Fracturing.

My name is Ann B. I write today because I am concerned that if the threat of fracking turns to reality that people like myself, who want to have a business upstate that depends on our reputation for clean water, soil and air, will not be able to convince people that NY products are healthy ones. Downstate markets are already saying they will not be interested in upstate products once fracking begins. You would be financially benefiting people from out of state and country at the expense of New Yorkers. For years now I have contacted you, as a life long democrat, asking that you not expose us to this danger. Not once I have I received a reply to my letters, calls or emails indicating that you have heard my concerns. It's time to show us that you do care about New York and that our state is not for sale.

My name is Bernard O'D. I am originally from Ireland but have been honored to live and work in NYS with my (NYS native) wife for the past six years. The rural Southern Tier is very close in natural beauty to certain counties of Ireland, in fact, and frankly, I don't want that to change. Both as a human being and the co-owner of a small corporation, I want a fair chance to continue living here without unnecessary threats to my family's health and well-being and to the well-being of the region. I want to live here without the intrusion of heavy industry that hydrofracking and all of its infrastructure inevitably brings.

The world is literally watching what you do right now, and I am asking you to step up as a global hero and protect my family and my business from this incursion. We need clean renewables--thirty years ago!--not colonization by out-of-state and out-of-country Big Oil & Gas corporations that do not care about New York State residents. We do expect YOU to care, however: to care about what happens to us, to listen to us, and to protect us.

From Linda S.: My husband and I have lived in rural New York State for 40 years, and our daughter and grandson live nearby. We grow our own vegetables and raise hay for sale, and our water comes from our own well. It is a beautiful, healthy environment - and we want it preserved, not exploited by an extractive industry that sprawls through the countryside. Aside from the destruction of our quality of life, we fear for the state's water supply, and for the pollution of air that will certainly occur if HFVF fracking is allowed to invade the state. Water is the ultimate resource; if it becomes contaminated, the costs will be incalculable. How much better to keep New York a clean, attractive and healthy place, both for residents and for visitors who come for the benefits.

Above all, l am very concerned that the health review being conducted by DEC is very inadequate for a matter of such lasting importance as this. Why are we not having an actual STUDY made, instead of a [secret] review? Surely the magnitude of potential for damage warrants the greatest care possible. What is the rush? The resource is not going away.

My name is Adelaide G. I write today because so many of us in New York State are afraid that you are going to violate the wishes of the majority of our states residents and allow fracking here.

My name is Earl W. from Binghamton, NY. I write today to urge you to protect the health and well being of all New Yorkers (not just those who get their water from the protected watershed in the Catskills) from the demonstrated dangers of horizontal hydraulic fracturing. I desperately hope that you will defend us in the face of intense energy industry influence ($) and pressure. This industry demonstrably has very little regard for the health and well being of the communities in which they operate. This is a global battle between communities hoping to protect themselves, often relying on government officials, and quite possibly the largest and most powerful industry on earth. Climate change hangs in the balance here, as what happens here in NY could likely have far reaching implications in the fight to beat back global warming. We owe it to future generations to make the right decision here because states as well as nations around the world have their eyes on NY because they us as leaders and, therefore, will likely follow our lead. Please do the right thing.

My name Edith W, better known as Mother R, a nun for nearly 50 years, living in a women's monastery of the Orthodox Church in America in Otego, Otsego County, New York. I write today to ask that our State remain a place where religious and not-for-profit groups can continue to offer retreats for men and women needing a respite from today's technology-driven rat race. We will need to go elsewhere if our area is at the mercy of the noise and pollution of air and water that necessarily accompanies any incursions by the petroleum industry

My name is Julie. I write today because I have lived in the beautiful Finger Lakes region for 40 years. The idea that an area so rich in water resources, agricultural production and natural beauty should be sacrificed for the short term profit of corporations bent on extraction of fossil fuel at ANY expense of the environment and the health of those of us who live here is criminal. You cannot 'un-contaminate', you cannot 'un-sicken' and you cannot un-do the damage that this will deliberately or accidentally cause. Voters in this region are counting on you to prevent it and preserve the land for future generations by maintaining a moratorium on shale gas drilling.

My name is Julie R. I write today because I am a resident in New York State and I would like to stay here. I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world where there are fewer and fewer beauties to be had. With power comes responsibility and with the power to destroy comes the responsibility to protect. I will move out of New York State if shale fracking or storage of natural gas is permitted.

My name is Aneesa T. I write today because I care about the future of our drinking water for my children and grandchildren, as well the future of NYS companies that depend on clean water such as wineries and yogurt making companies such as Chobani.

My name is Julie M. I grew up in the Southern Tier and have returned after an absence of over twenty years with a much fuller appreciation of the natural beauty, environmental integrity, and quality of life that my husband and I get to enjoy here compared to other places we have lived. We chose to move our business from the State of Maine to Upstate New York and would like to continue living and working here, supporting other New York State businesses and buying local organic produce. Hydrofracking puts all of that and more in immediate jeopardy. It puts puts money into the hands of a few (often absentee) large landowners and out-of-state-and-country Big Oil & Gas companies and puts everyone else at grave risk. We have only to look south of our border a few miles to see what could happen to us if you do not do what's best for all New Yorkers.

My name is Laurie K. I write today because I am frightened to think that fracking could come to upstate New York. I grew up in Pennsylvania and have learned about the adverse health effects, and the negative social impact, fracking has had there. Even the threat of fracking has affected my husband's architectural business; clients have decided NOT to build because the don't want fracked wells near their property. I stand with the NY State Conference of Catholic Bishops asking you to maintain the moratorium on fracking.

My name is Sarah R. I write today because I want a ban on fracking in New York and I want a comprehensive health study of fracking. As a college professor of chemistry and the environment, I am well aware of the health effects of fracking that have been experienced by those in fracking areas. The EPA found thermogenic methane contamination from fracking in drinking water wells in Pavillon, WY and a Duke University study found 85% of drinking water wells within 1 mile of fracking were contaminated with methane. The U.S. House of Representatives has issued a report on fracking chemicals indicating the many chemicals that are known carcinogens, endocrine disrupters, and water and air contaminants and Theo Colborn has a complete database of these hazardous chemicals (http://www.tedx.org/chemicals.multistate.php). In fact, a health survey in Dish, TX found many health effects experiences by those living near fracking includiing asthma and neurological disorders, all of which add to our public health tax burden.

If fracking goes ahead in New York, the public will know there has been no comprehensive health study of potential effects in New York from fracking activities. Personally, this will also result in our leaving our secure jobs which we have had in this state for 20 years and moving to a nonfracking state or country. Please protect New Yorkers and preserve our state for future generations; do not poison the land and industrialize the state. I don't think any of you would go ahead if it were to take place at your neighbor's house; this is what the rest of us face who are surrounded by leased land. We rely on you to protect us all not cave in to profits. Our public health and New York's beauty and future depend upon what you decide.

My name is William M. and I am a leader in the Atlantic Chapter Sierra Club. I write today because I am a resident of Westchester County and have family living in Chenango County. My family and I are concerned about the documented devastating impacts created by the methane extraction practice of Hydrofracking. Although this scourge continues across the country unabated by explosions, leakages, water contamination, health issues, and even death I trust you to make the decision of Fracking in New York based on extensive peer reviewed scientific data and public study rather than industry skewed 'research'.

My name is Joseph G. I write today because I am an environmental engineer living over an EPA designated sole source aquifier (e.g. the Clinton Street-Ballpark) in the Southern Tier. I have seen no compelling evidence that hydraulic fracking will be safe for either our water supply or personal health.

My name is Renee D. I write today because you need to know how many of us do not want fracking in the Southern tier. I live in Vestal, where 2,500 voting age Vestal residents have signed a petition asking for a ban. I am concerned because the damage fracking will cause to the environment - our air, water, soil - is already evident in Pennsylvania. Our food, water and milk supply is at risk of being inadvertantly contaminated.

My name is Karen W. I write today because I believe that in policy, the three basic requirements of life, (food, water and shelter), should trump any potential economic or political benefit/detriment.

My name is Cynthia R. I am the Deputy Director Emeritus of the NY Aquarium, an institution that has a mission to educate the public about wildlife and places through live exhibits and educational activities. Conservation and protection of the environment is key to the preservation of life. I write today because as a well informed individual and resident of New York I am very concerned about the potentially devastating effects of hydralic fracturing on the environment and health and well being of our citizens.

My name is Elaine L. I voted for you in the last election partly because I felt you would protect New York State's environment. I write today because I'm afraid both for my health and for my home's future value. My home represents my whole life's savings, and if our water supply gets contaminated, it will be worthless. My good health is of course priceless, and could never be replaced.

My name is Holly A. I write today because I have seen firsthand the impact of the gas drilling industry on our neighbor to the south, Pennsylvania. I have seen homes abandoned due to toxically high methane levels, I have seen house after house with vented water well stacks and water buffalos to replace water that is too toxic to drink. I have copies of reports and letters from the DEP stating that their wells were adversely impacted by gas drilling. I have read university peer reviewed studies that give the science and statistics to date on the legacy of destruction that fracking brings. We need to look to these studies, and to the additional studies now underway, to avail ourselves of the best possible advice from the private and academic sectors. We need to hold fast to our moratorium to await completion of a full-fledged health study, before even considering allowing this industry in NYS. There is no amount of money that is worth tainting our drinking water supply. There are alternatives to gas, they are building and growing. The health "review" is not sufficient. Water is the life blood of the public, our drinking water, that you are wagering in this deal with industry. The public needs to have a transparent study, with formal public participation.

My name is Alex F. and I live in Binghamton. I write today because I am a life-long resident, property owner and voter in New York State who cares about the considerable impacts of hydrofacking on all NY'ers and little about the profits of a few. I think you should too. Hydrofracking is dangerous, filthy and unpredictable to use only a few of the negative adjectives that have become attached to the process. NY should move towards renewable sources of energy to meet demand and leave behind as a historical relic, the consumption, exploitation and dependence on fossil fuels. It requires intelligence, bravery and a set the size of cantalopes. You captured the nation's attention with the SAFE Act in one sweeping motion, changing conventional wisdom on gun control. You could have an encore if you administered comprehensive rules and guidelines that protect every NY'er from the imminent dangers of hydrofracking and the long term detritus that the industry is famously known for. You've been elected to do the public's business and protect the public's welfare, not pander to any industry. Do the right thing Governor.

My name is Philip R. I write today because I am part of the Fenner Neighbors Group. We represent nearly 600 people in a town of just over 1,000 adults who have signed a petition to ban hydrofracking from Fenner. The people of our town and of our state (especially our area of the state) are opposed to all forms of deep well drilling especially the most dangerious and risky hydro-fracking. It will destroy our tourism, dairy farming, and neighborhoods for generations. The short term gain is not worth the price. Let's invest more seriously in alternatives and keep drilling out of our state.

My name is Peter H. I write today because we need to permanently turn away from shale gas drilling, piping, compression and all related activities such as accepting out-of-state liquid wastes for inadequate treatment, drilling wastes for landfilling and allowing storage of explosive gases in structurally defective salt domes.

Instead we need to turn toward maximizing NYS incentives for energy conservation, energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy. After the devastation that New York City suffered from Sandy you were able to utter the words "global warming" and you suggested that we need to change our energy policies to lessen future climatic damage.

This is a time for taking aggressive action toward establishing a nontoxic energy future that will be environmently friendly, not permanently damaging to our health and environment. Our use of fossil fuels can be drastically and dramatically reduced through a responsible energy policy. Massachussetts is doing it. Homes and commercial buildings are being built or retrofitted with enough insulation and sealing to use little or no fossil fuels and in some cases they are producing surplus electrical energy from photovoltaics to send back to the grid for profit at retail rates or power thousands of miles of nonpolluting electric car travel. Massachussetts is doing these things right now while New York State government wastes valuable time and resources dallying with the gas industry.

My name is Lisa MP. I write today because I am a resident of the state of New York and I am against allowing the risky energy extraction technique of Horizontal Hydrofracking to go forward in any part of this state. As the destructive evidence comes in from other states (not only Pennsylvania) about the obvious environmental and health problems with this technique, I urge you in your capacity of governor of New York to do your job to protect our state from this practice. As a teacher of the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences I cannot be silent in the face of what I know to be an extremely hazardous and problematic extraction method.

The only real beneficiaries of such endeavors are the energy companies and I believe public health comes first - I'm sure you agree as governor. That is why you will find the requests listed below, and agreed upon by many thousands of New Yorkers like myself, to be the only responsible way to proceed.

My name is Bruce S. I write today because I believe it is in the best interest of all New Yorkers not to allow HVHF to go forward in our beautiful state. I have read over these past several years the horror stories that have occurred in other states as a result of fracking. There would be many more of those stories if the gas industry had not been so successful in keeping the facts about widespread contamination secret with non-disclosure agreements.

NYS has much to gain by being the first state to stand up to an industry that has destroyed so many lives and dreams. With your leadership we could go completely renewables - wind, water, solar - and show the rest of the country and world that it can be done. The science and research is there for the taking. We need to do it for the children and future generations whose lives will be difficult, if not impossible, if we continue to emit carbon, methane and other greenhouse gases into the atmoshere. We are at a crossroads in the climate change fight. I hope you help NYS take the road to renewable energy, that leads to a brighter future for all of us.

My name is Elisa E. I write today because I have spent the last three and a half years informing myself about the process of HVHF, spending hours researching how it is done and what the effects have been in places across the country and around the world where it has been done. I am lucky enough to live in the Ithaca area where I have been able to attend numerous lectures and presentations by experts in the field who are both for and against fracking. I have given this topic a great deal of thought and have concluded that, until convinced otherwise by thorough and comprehensive health studies on both humans and animals, fracking is not safe for us and our environment and should not be allowed.

My name is Richenda C. I write today because as a resident and voter in Tompkins County, town of Caroline, NY, I am very concerned with the potential threat that hydraulic fracking poses. It would affect the health of the residents by way of our water and pollution, it has the potential to tear up our land and continue to affect our environment far into the future in ways that we cannot possibly know at this point. Also the added stress on roads and existing infrastructure could permanently damage our small town and community.

My name is Char R. I write today because I do not want to see my community devastated by gas drilling. I question why certain water supplies would be exempt while others are not. If this procedure is so safe, do not exempt anyone's water supply -- no one should be more important than another. Do do so would be to say this group of people/region deserve protection and this group/region does not. Please represent us equally.

My name is Laura S. I am a resident of New York City, a teacher and a community gardener. I write today because I am deeply concerned about the inadequacy and bias of the state's environmental impact study of horizontal hydrofracking. I implore you to consider the vulnerability of our children, our foodsheds, and our water supplies, as you stand in power to determine the fate of our state's irreplaceable farmlands and forests.

After much consideration and reflection, I write to you today and urge you to consider the situation at hand. The necessary health study to address the impacts of hydrofraking on our health will take more time than has been given to it. With new studies and data being released weekly, it quickly becomes apparent that we need to thoroughly investigate these health consequence before making a decision about allowing fracking in New York state.

My name is Merle G. I write today because of my concern as a parent & grandparent. We have 3 members of our family with asthma. As you are aware, this is a life-threatening concern. As homeowners, our property will significantly devaluate. We would have to abandon it & tax revenues will decrease. As proponents of Earth Day, we must not and should not destroy the air we breathe, the water we drink, the animals that rely on our care, and the food we eat , that will die in chemical-laden soil.

My name is Karen S. I write today because according to a study conducted by the Colorado School of Public Health in Garfield County Colorado in 2009, HVHF could contribute to health effects such as headaches, upper respiratory illnesses, nausea, nosebleeds and possible cancer risks as a result of air emissions.

My name is Kathy R. I write today because the NY moratorium on fracking MUST NOT be lifted. Everyday more information on the dangers to both public health and the environment come out. Also, here in NY the Marcellus is 2500 feet closer to our water table than in PA, which increases the risk of contamination. In fact, here in NY, we have a layer of water sensitive shale just under our water table. PA does not have this type of shale. When this shale is disturbed, it shatters and expands which will not allow the cement casing to encase the steel piping. The cement, as you know, is our only protection from the toxic chemicals going down the pipe and the radioactive back flows coming up!. Are you aware of this water sensitive shale?? Has the Public Health Study included this type of shale in its research and how it will hinder the integrity of the cement casing here in NY??? PA residents near fracking wells are suffering with both health and environmental issues. We do not want the pollution and poisons here. We want NY to remain clean and FRACK FREE!

My name is Laurel M. I write today because I am concerned about the health of the people who live in New York State that will deteriorate should hydrofracking be allowed here. The beauty of our state is also at stake. Why would you want ugly mining equipment and structures ruining our landscape? It is so disturbing to learn that you had appointed people who stand to gain financially from such unhealthy practices to be on committees that would actually recommend that hydrofracking is harmless to us. The governor of a state should protect the people he is shepherding and treat the land God has given us with respect and care. You need to stand strong against the power of energy companies and people who already have too much money and do what is right. The rest of this letter outlines what you should be doing--to listen to the scientists and doctors and courageously take a stand that will tell these gas companies that NYS does not want them here.

My name is Scott L. I write today because I feel that New York's public health impact analysis of shale gas fracking has been inadequate, and I'm concerned that moving forward with fracking in the absence of a thorough understanding of the health impacts will be an irreversible step that we will all come to regret.

My name is Marilyn S. I write today because I stand with the members of the public and the scientific community_who are asking for a drilling ban in New York. We do not need to take chances with our air and water resources. Most of the citizens of NY will gain nothing but trouble from this process which will destroy New York as we know it.

My name is Anthony G. B. I write today because I am very concerned about the negative health impacts of hydraulic fracturing. I am especially concerened about the possibility of our air being contaminated by the substances used in this process. I am also concerned about radon extracted and mixed with the gas and then deliverd with the gas in the pipeline to the end user. How are these airborne pollutants going to be contained? How will they be mitigated if released into the atmosphere and what will the health effects be on the general population? As a matter of public health and safety these concerned have to be addressed before the hydraulic fracturing commences.

My name is Anezka S. I write today because I am a teacher. Our addiction to fossil fuels continues to be foolhardy and destructive. It is easy to use gas that took millions of years to accumulate. What would be so much EASIER is to use the obvious forms of energy that are non-toxic and in plain view in our existence. STOP RESEARCHING FOSSIL FUELS AND LET'S CREATE A PLANET WHERE WE INTEGRATE OURSELVES INTO THE EARTH'S SYSTEMS.

My name is Claudette H. I write today because I am concerned that the State will allow fracking for perceived short-term financial gains, and will destroy the aquifers and poison the water table that feed NY_City_at untold cost to replace. As a former chemistry teacher, I am appalled at pumping carcinogens__into the Marcellus Shale. If I dropped any of those compounds into the Ashokan reservoir I would go to jail.

My name is Margaret M. I am a science and environmental educator, formerly a Communications Specialist for the Water Resources Institute, working in communities with contaminated drinking water. I am also a grandmother. Having a background in the complex geology of NYS and in drinking water contamination, I am very aware of the many ways contaminants from gas drilling could get in our air and water.

An as-yet unstudied but very LIKELY problem is the transport of radon into homes that use methane as a fuel (euphamistically renamed "natural gas"). I have worked hard to keep radon from seeping into my house via soil and water (where it has been gradually accumulating over hundreds of millions of years from the very same Marcellus formation you are considering fracking). Why would we start bring it into our basements and kitchens via fuel lines connected to Marcellus gas fields? Why has this danger not yet been studied thoroughly?

My name is Vickie L. S. I write today because as I was driving down Route 17 East from Binghamton to Liberty, I was blessed to see an American Bald Eagle soaring near the Delaware River. It was magnificant with at least a six-foot wing span. I want my grand-children to grow up in this state and continue to enjoy and love it as I, my son and his wife have. I want them to continue to see scenes such as I have seen here. It is my sincere belief that the cost of hydrofracking in this state would be to high a price to pay. Our waterways, land and air would suffer irriversible damage, not to mention the health impact on our citizens. That damage could NEVER be fixed despite what the gas and oil companies tell you. I learned enough in our SUNY system to understand the damage done underground. One major leak could destroy an entire community's water supply, the land the live on, and the air we all breathe. I don't want you to risk ANY community's existence for money. And you wouldn't have to risk anything if you were to put the same effort into alternative energy sources. The gas and oil industry doesn't want you to do that merely because it hasn't figured out how to charge the rest of us for those alternative methods yet. However, they can and would if you were to lead NY State in that direction. I ask that you have the DOH conduct a health impact study, not just a review. With the health care cost of Medicaid and other insurances in this state sky-rocketing, we can't afford to make a medical/health error of such great magnitude. We can't afford to think that nothing will go wrong, something ALWAYS goes wrong. There is not one state where hydrofracking has been done where leaks, major accidents,etc. have not occurred. We don't want you as our Governor to allow those things to happen to us.

My name is Chaw C. My wife and I farm full-time and employ 6 year-round employees. I write today because we are concerned with the possible effects that hydrofracking will have to our surface water that we need to have a farm, as well potential health impacts our family and community.

My name is Chuck S. I write today because I was born and raised in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, and have seen how fracking has literally destroyed my childhood home. My father grew up on an aple orchard in an area north of Williamsport called Rose Valley. The orchard is now permanently scarred by a gas line running across it. The nearby Rose Valley Lake has 4 drill pads within 1/2 mile - all operating 24/7, lighting up what once was a clear, star-studded sky and destroying the habitat with unending noise. Topping off the destruction, there is a huge, open waste frackwater pit within a stone's throw of the lake. Needless to say, the lake and surrounding property will be uninhabitable forever in the likely event that the pit leaks (when I was there, a large backhoe was being used to prop up one corner of the pit where the wall evidently had failed. Maybe you should tour these areas of Pennsylvania and see for yourself the irreversible carnage and picture it happening in the Catskills or the Finger Lakes. The oil & gas lobby has Tom Corbett in their hip pocket, Please don't follow in Corbett's despicable footsteps. Stand up for what's right for New York and what's right for our planet.My name is Ian C. I write today because I am deeply troubled by the way in which the DEC and other agencies have handled the process for evaluating the environmental and health risks associated with HVHF. I feel there has been too much secrecy and too much industry alignment and involvement.

My name is Fran L. I write today because as a business owner in Ovid that depends on tourism I do not want fracking to be permitted in New York. Truck traffic, safety issues related to truck traffic, and the destruction of our landscape that draws tourists will negatively affect our business.

Today is my granddaughter's birthday, twelve years old. i want her to know that you will protect her and her children from toxic trespassers into our environment. My name is Diane M. I write today because the community of Sanford where my family has had a home for six generations sits in the crosshairs of fracking development. My family and my neighbors want a comprehensive and thorough investigation into the long range health impacts of the full development of natural gas from start to finish, including compressor stations, pipelines, and every facet of this industrialization of our rural and sacred community.

My name is Peter M. I write today because fresh water from New York's lakes, rivers, and streams is a critical resource for life. Wasting that resource by polluting it with chemicals for fracking is antithetical to life as we know it today. Further consideration of the effects of fracking must include the long-term risks associated with misuse of our limited water resource. People need water, as much as the native flora and fauna supported by water on the land.

My name is Kyllikki I. As a New York State business owner, property owner and resident, I am extremely concerned about the health, safety and environmental issues of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing.

My name is Yvonne T. I write today because I am a property owner in the Finger Lakes of New York and I am concerned about the negative health impacts of fracking.
My name is Kim F. from Arlington TX, home to 60 padsites in a 99 sq mile area who embraced urban drilling without the benefit of a health an environmental impact study. I live within 1/2 mile to a recently active drill site since last summer and now my husband has cancer and my teen has had an unusual rash.

My name is Marianne A. I write today as a life long citizen of central New York State (Trumansburg, NY) who cares deeply about protecting our water and natural resources. My elderly parents, my children and my grandchildren live in the area; I want them to enjoy abundant and safe water sources as long as they live.

I am deeply concerned that the introduction of hydrofracturing into our area , in it's current form at least, will change our landscape drastically from the bountiful agricultural center that has been my home for so long, into a chemically-burned wasteland which will no longer support life of ANY kind. Evidence shows that I am not being over-dramatic; this has happened in at least one of our neighboring states - Pennsylvania. Our water belongs to ALL of us and we must ALL be allowed full information and a place in the hydrofacturing decision.

My name is Anna S. I write today because I am vehemently opposed to fracking and all its ancillary activities until real peer-reviewed science can absolutely prove that fracking will never endanger our water air and land. As New Yorkers, we are stewards of our God-given gift of fresh water especially the Finger Lakes and the Great Lakes.

My name is susan p g. I write today because of deep conceern for the future of our state, its water, air and human health. I have a MS in fisheries science and a very deep skepticism about the quality of the science that has been allowed to proceed so far regarding impacts of fracking. Good science takes time. Data needs to be carefully collected and analyzed and results replicated and confirmed. This can't be done in a hurry. Please don't rush into allowing this 'dirty' method of gas extraction and all the adverse impacts that go with it including habitat fragmentation, risks to property values, and long term groundwater pollution. At a minimum wait for the EPA's comprehensivce study of ground water and fracking. Right now gas prices are extremely low. Why not wait? It will be worth more in the future and perhaps we can figure out better ways to extract it. Or maybe we can figure out alternatives to using it, better yet!!

My name is Elaine M. I write today because I am highly concerned about the health risks, environmental damage, and dangers to the public health of fracking. I'm especially concerned about infrastructure that is mindlessly and dangerously planning to put gas products in unlined salt mines underneath and next to Seneca lake, the drinking source of 100,000 people. Once our lake is polluted and industrialized by out of state gas industries, we can say goodbye to our tourist industry, too.

My name is Edward E. I write today because I have been to Dimock PA and have seen for myself the destruction that this industry brings to a community. Horizontal drilling and High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing poisons the water supply, turns bucolic countryside into an industrial zone, destroys local roads, and undermines property values. Now they're coming for New York. Please don't let these companies ruin our beautiful Finger Lakes for their own profit.

My name is Candace E. C. I write today because as a resident of the Finger Lakes Region, I am extremely concerned that we protect our water resources which are essential to the quality of life in Upstate New York and to the economic viability of the region, I belleve that hydrofracking poses a serious threat to our well-being in the Finger Lakes and am opposed to it being permitted in our region.

My name is Ann F, and I live in Sullivan County, am on the Board of Directors of Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development, and am a native of Painted Post in Steuben County. I write today because I wish to join with the hundreds of people who just today have emailed the following requests to you. I am doing this out of concern for the fresh water of New York State, which comprises a surprisingly high percentage of the potable water in the entire world. I am concerned that High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing HVHF gas drilling for natural gas threatens our drinking water...

My name is The Rev. Nancy L, Ph.D. I write today because I am rightfully concerned about the devastating health affects of fracking which you apparently plan to force citizens in the Southern Tier to suffer. As a researcher in Bodymind health, I have studied the health effects of fracking for nearly 15 years. Fracking will not only destroy lives in Elmira, it will destroy our infrastruture, our community's safety and well-being, and poison our water and air. Additionally, the noise pollution will cause other serious health problems, depression, and suicides. The dollar signs which gas companies point to never materialize; instead the cost of high unemployment and staggering health care needs will bankrupt cities and counties. CITIZENS HAVE A RIGHT TO A SAFE LIVING ENVIRONMENT AND CLEAN, SAFE WATER AND AIR.

I am one of the New Yorkers who voted for you, for your oath to keep my drinking water safe. In light of your campaign promise to "get people believing in government again", I urge you to take the following actions:

My name is Former Congressnan Dick O. I write today because I request that you maintain New York's Marcellus Shale gas extraction moratorium until your Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner, Dr. Nirav R. Shah, completes a comprehensive Public Health Impact Study of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF).

My name is Robert W. I write today because of my serious concerns about potential hydrofracking in my western Broome County neighborhood, and it's potential negative impact on my health and that of my family, based upon research i have read and evaluated.

My name is Jonathan C. I write today because as a resident of the Finger Lakes Region, i am extremely concerned that we protect our water resources which are essential to the quality of life in Upstate New York and to the economic success of the region, whose natural beauty attracts residents and tourists alike.

My name is Vinny A. I write today because I am concerned about the environmental impacts hydrofracking will have to the Finger Lakes and its citizens. Fracking is simply not compatible with our local wine and tourism economy.

My name is Jane R. I write today because I am the Supervisor in a town in the Finger Lakes that depends on healthy water for my consituents to drink and to use to make our world class wines and microbeers

My name is Gerri W. I write today because eyes around the world are upon New York State to DO NO HARM and not move forth with High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF).

My name is Trina B. I write today because I am against fracking. I believe there are too many possible dangers to our health and safety - esp to our water supply. It only takes one horrific accident to poison our water and our health for many years

As a landowner and homeowner in Deposit, New York, I write today because I am greatly concerned about the detrimental health impact on the Southern Tier community that would occur if hydraulic fracturing is allowed to proceed in New York State.

My name is George K. I write today because I am fed up with our leadership playing politics with our health, environment, water, economy and future.

My name is Sean Z. I own a small business, a farm, and I work full-time in New York State. I am a part of my community, a board member of several organizations, an activist, a family man, and I am writing you today, yet again, to implore you all at the center of our state's government to use clear, non-corporate influenced judgement about natural gas fracking. I write today because friends of mine in Pennsylvania are hanging on by a thread of hope. Having seen their lives completely destroyed by the effects of fracking, I can only ask you AGAIN to stop this insanity of corporate profit over human and environmental health. We will NOT be able to drink money instead of water. We will NOT be able to raise our families without open spaces, and clean, fresh air, water, and soil!

My name is Charles L. I write today because I am against High Volume Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing, and would prefer we steer our economy and health and our reality, of diminishing fossil fuel discovery, toward renewable energy instead. Moving forward renewable energy is the only way forward.

My name is Marsha A. I'm writing today because I want you to permanently extend the fracking moratorium.

My name is Bruce R. I write today on behalf of The CT Fly Fisherman's Association.

My name is _Jean H. I write today because I fear for the future of my home, environment, and posterity.

The corporate need for profit seems to have been the motivation for the West, Texas, fertilizer factory personnel to have allegedly told the EPA there was no risk of fire or explosion. As I watch CNN TV News broadcast about the Boston Marathon bombing investigation, I've heard very little about the Assumption Parish Sinkhole catastrophe. Mayflower, Arkansas has a DILBIT spill, but again, not much on the news.

Until we have more transparent information, I suggest it is criminally negligent to permit fracking in NYS. This is a statement of human dignity.

My name is Annie C. I write today because I am concerned that you may allow hydrofracking to be used in our beloved NYS. I know it would be a HUGE moneymaker for the state, but as you know, money can not fix what pollution has done to affect global warming, and it will not be able to fix the disasters that will eventually follow wherever hydrofracking is used. Please be strong, caring and wise. Stand up to the sneaky gas companies and say NO to hydrofracking in our state. Then become President of the USA and say no to hydrofracking in our beloved country.