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Fractivists rally after fracking ban
Binghamton (WIVT) - Citizen Action, former Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan, Walter Hang from Toxics Targeting, and others rallied outside of government plaza in downtown Binghamton Thursday afternoon after Wednesday's decision to not allow the drilling process in New York State.
They held up signs thanking Governor Andrew Cuomo for the decision and delivered a signed poster board to his local office.
Although the governor distanced himself from the decision yesterday, saying he deferred to the commissioners of the Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health.
The results from the health department's two year study were inconclusive according to its acting commissioner, although he cited a number of studies that raised significant concerns regarding water and air pollution and negative community impacts.
"No one really thought that the concerns that we originally voiced were valid, but what was proven yesterday is that the Department of Health commissioner acknowledged all of the shortcomings in the knowledge of how shale fracking can be done safely, all of our concerns that we voiced for so many years were acknowledged," said Toxics Targeting President, Walter Hang.
"We've been doling out enough criticism of the governor. We're here today to praise the governor for what he did," said former Binghamton Mayor, Matt Ryan.
Back when Mayor Ryan, who is a Democrat, was in office he repeatedly joined anti-fracking rallies and called out the Governor over fracking and wanted him to ban the process.
The Joint Landowners Coalition, which supports fracking, declined an on camera interview today.
Through a statement it expressed outrage over the decision.
The coalition questions why 34 other states believe fracking can be done safely, but New York doesn't.
Fracking opponents celebrate ban in Binghamton
Members of the anti-drilling coalition gather today to support Wednesday's decision by New York to block fracking.
Up until 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, many leaders of New York's anti-fracking movement were convinced the state was going to approve a pilot program in Broome and nearby counties using the controversial drilling method.
Conflicting rumors swirled that morning after it was first reported the state would make an announcement on natural gas exploration. Drilling opponents said they feared they had lost the first round in their six-year battle to ban fracking in New York.
Only when Acting Health Commissioner Howard Zucker urged the state to prevent fracking from moving forward did opponents feel relief.
"I never thought this would happen," said Walter Hang of the Ithaca-based Toxics Targeting during a celebration rally Thursday in front of the Binghamton State Office Building.
About 20 members of the anti-drilling coalition gathered to sign a "thank you" card that was delivered to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's representatives in Binghamton.
On Wednesday, Zucker and Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens said after a comprehensive review of scientific studies examining the environmental effects of fracking, they could not recommend New York proceed with the practice of extracting natural gas from shale formations deep beneath the ground.
The recommendation effectively blocks natural gas drilling using the fracking technique in New York.
"This is a victory for the people of Southern Tier, the people of New York and it is cause for celebration," said Isaac Silberman-Gorn, a community organizer for Citizen Action in Binghamton.
Drilling supporters, however, were angered by the determination, saying the state failed to consider evidence indicating that natural gas exploration using horizontal drilling techniques could be done safely with the proper regulations and monitoring.
They point to the more than 30 other states, including California, where fracking has been approved, creating an abundance of newly discovered natural gas and petroleum.
Hydraulic fracturing uses a mixture of water, sand and chemicals to fracture shale formation up to a mile or more underground to release trapped natural gas.
Broome County Executive Debbie Preston said the decision to block fracking will cost municipalities along the gas-rich Marcellus Shale millions of dollars in potential tax revenue, closing off tax relief from beleaguered homeowners.
Additionally, she said, drilling would have spurred development in a region that has suffered from job losses over at least the past 10 years.
"I still think it can be done safely," Preston said. Only a short distance from her own Conklin home, Preston said Pennsylvania-based drills are tapping the resource that now is off-limits for her New York neighbors.
A ban may also have a potential effect on real estate values, said Preston, a Republican. Now that drilling is prohibited in New York, properties that were assessed on the basis of the potential income from gas resources believed to be underneath the ground could possibly appeal for reduced valuations.
The move by the state's top health and environmental regulators is the culmination of a decision-making process that has stretched through more than six years, two governors, several layers of review, numerous missed deadlines and countless protests and rallies across the state.
It represents a major victory for fracking critics, many of whom have trailed Cuomo, a Democrat, at events for the past four years. New York becomes the first state with significant shale reserves to move toward a formal fracking ban.
Celebrating the fracking ban
Binghamton, NY (WBNG Binghamton) Dozens of people against hydraulic fracturing celebrated a win regarding the ban on fracking in New York.
People from various groups across the Southern Tier gathered in front of the State Office building in downtown Binghamton Thursday afternoon to say thanks and to talk about how their hard work has paid off.
"The science, as we've been talking about for many years, that brings us here, brings us to this place of victory and a New York state that will be frack-free," said Issac Silberman-Gorn, of Citizen Action.
Even former Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan (D) made the trip from Ithaca for the celebration and stood in the same spot where they've been protesting for so many years.
"We're here to praise the governor and what he did. We're very thankful for him listening to the science and leaving it up to the DEC and the health commissioner to make this decision," Ryan said.
For some, the decision was a welcome shock.
"I was shocked, I couldn't believe it. We worked so hard and so long, we brought so much information to the governor's attention, the DEC and the Department of Health. But I had no inkling that he would actually prohibit shale fracking in New York," said Walter Hang, the president of Toxics Targeting, of Ithaca.
After the rally, the group sent a thank you card and clean, frack-free water from the Southern Tier to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.
Anti-Fracking Activists Celebrate Victory
Anti-fracking activists took a victory lap Thursday, celebrating the Cuomo administration's decision to ban fracking in New York.
They met in front of Government Plaza in Binghamton Thursday afternoon before delivering a thank you card and a jug of clean water to Cuomo's satellite office in the State Office Building. The activists present said it was their efforts that raised enough questions about fracking to force the state to look at the issue and ultimately decide against it.
"I had no inkling that he would actually prohibit shale fracking in New York. This is just a stunning decision and it's going to set a precedent for the whole country," said Walter Hang, President of Toxics Targeting.
"I think it's a game changer all across the nation to see a Governor and a Health Department and a Department of Environmental Conservation stand up to say, 'We're not going to do the pollution and find out the consequences later,'" said former Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan.
Ryan says the state can now be a leader in clean energy, a sector he believes could produce a number of good jobs.
Elmira-area reaction to casino, fracking decisions
A decision announced Wednesday to grant a full-fledged casino license for Seneca County, not Tioga Downs in Nichols, surprised and disappointed Southern Tier leaders.
Meanwhile, New York's decision to keep a ban on hydraulic fracturing delighted environmental advocates while elected leaders called it the wrong decision.
Tioga Downs
"We were all just very, very disappointed and saddened with the news," said Tioga County, N.Y., Legislative Chair Martha Sauerbrey, who watched a broadcast of the casino decision with Tioga Downs staff on a large-screen TV in the racino's conference room.
Granting a full-fledged casino license to Tioga Downs would have benefited the entire Twin Tiers economically, she said. "The fact that Lago was named, to me, that is not in the Southern Tier. I do think that Tioga Downs will continue on. They will continue to have gambling and horse racing, and definitely be an asset to this region."
Getting the license in Nichols would have meant a hotel, conference center and entertainment venue. "That would have created jobs, many more jobs," she said. "I have heard (Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural) say we will still survive, still move ahead, just not at the level we were hoping."
George Miner, president of Southern Tier Economic Growth, said announcements an hour apart on no fracking and the casino license was "like being punched in the mouth and kicked in the stomach."
"I had to search on the Internet to find where Tyre is ... I'm sure it's a lovely town, but it's nowhere near the Southern Tier," Miner said. "I don't see how there will be any positive impact from this casino on the Southern Tier — certainly not any jobs for Southern Tier residents, no new tax revenues," Miner said.
Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli said he was shocked that Tioga Downs did not get the casino license, because of the investment it has already made. "It's certainly a punch in the nose to the owner of Tioga Downs, who has invested a ton of money," Santulli said.
It is also a missed opportunity for business growth in the region due to increased visitors, he said. "They spend money on the way to wine country. They frequent restaurants. They go by three million square feet of shopping," Santulli said. "It would have been a really nice added piece to wine country, the glass museum, the tourism."
Combined with the ban on fracking, it was not a good day for the region, state Sen. Tom O'Mara, R-Big Flats, said.
"I strongly believed Jeff Gural and everyone at Tioga Downs put forth the most clear-cut proposal in keeping with the commission's stated goals to locate these casinos where they are most needed," O'Mara said. "A new and expanded Tioga Downs would have bolstered one of the state's weakest local economies, preserved important livelihoods for hundreds of workers, created new jobs, and generated badly needed revenue to provide additional support for education and local governments to help ease the burden on local property taxpayers."
Fracking
Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, was among the region's elected leaders who were extremely disappointed with New York's fracking ban.
"This move effectively blocks the development of natural gas and oil resources in New York state," Reed said. "This is devastating news for the Southern Tier economy … This decision makes it even more difficult to replace the good jobs that have already left due to New York's unfriendly business climate.
"Once again Albany shows that it wants to enact an extreme liberal agenda rather than care about individual property rights and job opportunities," Reed said.
STEG's Miner said, "It's fairly obvious that today's decision was made years ago. Another four years of study is not going to change anything. With over 30 other states allowing fracking, there certainly is enough information available to understand the impacts, whether social, economic, or health wise."
Sauerbrey and Santulli both said their counties, and the region, would have benefited economically if fracking was allowed. Neither county had taken a position on fracking because it always was a state, not local, decision.
"I think the majority of people in Tioga County supported fracking because we have a lot of farmland. This was an opportunity to provide for their families," Sauerbrey said. "I am not surprised by the decision. I am glad it is done. I am tired of talking about it. Now we can move on."
Santulli said Chemung County had put a commission together several years ago to examine how fracking would have impacted the county. He said it involved working with police, fire departments and even speaking in Albany about the county's preparation, but the last couple of years have just been about waiting for a decision, he said.
Santulli said the county saw economic benefits firsthand because of the number of gas companies that located in the county while doing drilling and hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania, where it is permitted. "Chemung County has benefited from Pennsylvania fracking because of our interstate, rail and airport," he said, explaining the county led the state in room tax and sales tax growth in 2010 and 2011.
"Whether they stay here now is a chapter that hasn't been written yet," Santulli said of the gas and support industries still operating out of Chemung County.
Sandra Steingraber of Trumansburg, a distinguished scholar in biology at Ithaca College, said she was "thrilled" with New York's continued ban on fracking. She is among the activists who have been arrested and jailed for blockading the gates to Crestwood Midstream, which plans to expand methane gas storage in underground salt caverns in the Town of Reading, Schuyler County.
"Actually I heard the news while I was helping to oversee the civil disobedience movement of 29 arrests (Wednesday) at the gates of Crestwood Midstream," she said. "In one ear, I was listening to the proceedings from the cabinet in Albany while I was watching 29 residents led by local musicians be arrested for blockading the gates."
She said the state's decision, and reasoning for it, matched what many working in public health, like herself, have concluded.
"It's a complete victory, a wise decision. That is what the science shows," she said, adding the governor and the (health) commissioner both said troubling signs exist regarding fracking. "You don't place people in harm's way while the science goes on … you can't use people as guinea pigs."
She said she was at the Schuyler County Sheriff's Office when those arrested Wednesday were processed and released and first heard about the fracking decision.
"They picked up their instruments, banjos, guitars, and spontaneously burst into song. There was literally singing and dancing on the streets of Watkins Glen," she said.
Walter Hang, an Ithaca industrial-contamination activist and owner of Toxics Targeting, an environmental database, was equally enthusiastic about the state's decision.
"I am enthralled. This is a stupendous victory. It's the result of five years of unrelenting, hard work," Hang said.
It also took him by surprise, he said, based on tips and communications he had received prior to the announcement that said fracking would be banned statewide, but perhaps allowed on a limited or trial basis in the Southern Tier.
"This is just an incredible red letter day," Hang said. "It shows what concerned citizens can achieve when they are knowledgeable, sophisticated about these very complicated proceedings."