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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPrivilege of the Floor.PDFElizabeth Mount, Villager, former Trustee, former member of DRAC I am interested in the process of controlling the deer, the nuts and bolts of how things work, and whai happens if they don't. I think it would be very emb"arrassing if the Board p"rr.r its proposal to sterilize and cull before answering these questions : - What if the board passes its deer remediation proposal but litigation stalls it for months or even y."it. Do Villagers understand how long it could be before the plan even starts? - What if the project survives litigation and begins hiring staff, applying for permits, and filling out the papeiwork. Do Villagers understand how much longer it could be before the plan even starts? - If the permits and grants come through, what if Paul curtis can't secure the ,1r.g.on, needed toiterilize deer in the early dawn or late evening hours when they will be trapped? You must know that Cornell's surgeons already don't have enough time to sterilize the deer from Cornell's own properties. - what if Paul can't secure an accessible, sterile site which meets the stringent requirements for safe animal treatm ent? You mustknow there is not enough room at the Vet school for this. - what if the project moves into the culling phase, and not enough neighbors can be found whose contiguous lots form the iequired culling space of 2 football fields? - And what if, in the passing of all this time, the board redirects its own time' energy and funding io ,Ib,' issues such as refurbishing Marcham Hall, an issue that has been on the books for 5 years; or meeting the mandated raise in retirement costs for NYS employees, funds which must be incorporated into- next April's budget; or meeting the increased costs of road maintenance, etc - all with lower sales tax revenues? You mustknow that an annual budget is only made for oNE YEAR, Noi TEN, what if the board changes its priorities? what if we have a new board? Anne Serling-Sutton 24 Cedar Lane Ithaca, New York I implore you not to proceed with this plan to kill the deer in Cayuga Heights. It is dangerous, irresponsible and cruel and will only exacerbate the divisiveness amongst the neighbors. Build fences!!!! Gas Drilling in the Finger Lakes: Friday, 31Iuly 2009 By Sondy Podulka How Will lt Affect Us? The powerful and poorly-regulated natural gas-cNrilling industry is moving into our area, and so far it's been very inuch urrrler the public raclar. The numerous unconventional gas wells planned will dramatically transform our lanCscane*-bringing the greatest change since the original forests were cut. Gas drilling wil! touch every aspect of our lives. lf we can better understand the risks involved, we can work to t'ielp r.nitigate the damage and tr: better protect ourselves and our community' Drilling in ihe lMarcellus Shale The Finger Lakes region sits aloove the Marcellus shale, a :'o,:ll l:rye r 6,000 to 8,0C0 feet rJeep that unrjerlies Penrrsyi r a nia,'iVt:st Virg,inia, Eastern Ohi,: and the Southern Tiet anr:l Crtskill region:; of lrlY. lt is thought to contain th€, tliird largest naturalg;l:; derposit irt the world -- the higgest in tlre US -- rvorth over a trillion dollars Because ga:; in tlre ltlarcelius shale is dispersed throughoi-ri the rock, it is costly and difficult to extract. tsut the recent surge in gas prices has nrade it profitable, so the gas industry is poised to [:egirr intensive e>ltraction in our area. They are waiting fnr tire hlew York l.repal'trnetlt ot- Enrri ronrurental Conserva tlcn ( D FC) to prod uce its Siipplenr er tta | $eneric Environntenta I i lnpact Statenreirt {5G{lS). By setting stater,trirJe regulatrori: for drilling in the lVlarcelllus shale, the SGEIS will rtrearnline perrnitting and aik:w companies to proceed without doing individual What Can We Do? . Learn as much as you can about hydraulic fracturing, and make sure your friends and neighbors are aware of the issues. For more information see: www,shaleshock.org (local) w^/w.catskil I mou ntai nkeeper.org I nodel 290 www" un-natura I gas,org/index. htm www, damascuscitizens.org/i ndex. htm I w^/w. ea rth\vorksaction . orglpu bs/LOg u i de200 5 book.pdf c Contact DEC personnel and state legislators to recluest that the public comment period for the draft SGEIS be extended to 60 or 90 days and include public hearings (see www"sha leshock.o rg/get-involved/ fo r co ntact info Environmentai lmp*ct Statementl; for each drilling site. When a draft comes out in September, the public will have just 30 days to make written comrnents. DEC willtl'ren produce a final 5GElS, and a flood of drilling permits is expected to her approved soon after that. The rnaximum well density iallowed is one per 40 acres, but companies uriil probably gror-lp wells on more vi,/!dely-$paaed ";:.rl,Js" Lrf five to 1"5 acres: there cleareC industrial site s l'rost drill rigs, cotrlpf€:iScrfs, tarr[<er trucks, dozens; of huge holding tairks and,, often, opren lagor:rns: of hazardclu:; waste. The Millenniurn Fipeline, which runs from Corrring to !r,ocl<land Ccunty, 'r;ill transpnrt the gas to NVC ancl be1'pn6. L:ir*ntuall:r, every indi'ridual ,,rrrelf wil! conilect ic lt lhrough smaller pipelines, fcrrnlrtg a nreissiv* netv',r:rk s;naking throughnut our rep ir:n. Hydraulic Fracturing ancl Water U:;e Until norv, gas weiis irr o"rr area ha're been drilled vertically ini.o ,-riher roel< li:riers, wh*se gas is; in large, prr.sruri;'-.ed pclckets: orlce yorj lieve drilied into the ;liale, tiie gas a;"iloinatic;rily ri,;es. To extract the dispersed gas in the N4arcellus shale, hou,'ever, companies drill verticaliy to the shale anrl then turn and drill horizontally, up to a mile r:r nrc.,re. 'l-hey tlren inject fluirl ("frilcking fluid") ';rri.lrtr r:trtrerirely lrigh pressure t,o sh;rtter the ".or:li anil releas+: l"he gri; traplrerrtr inside This prort€rr:!, dtvei*pe,:l lT y l'l 11111,'"'riol., is calied hycl i'a u I ic j r:: c'""u "r rig, o r hird rn fp;1,1;11 i 11 g. On average. 3.5 miMon gall,rns of fracking fluid are injected per hydrofracking, and welfs rnay Lre fracked ni;rn'y time:; over their 40-year life for federal, state, local and DEC officials), o ty'r/hen the draft SGEIS cornes out, make detailed comments on any regulations you think are inadequate to protect our health and safety. n Fax or call your US Representatives and Senators to request their support of the Frac Act: H.R. 2766 and S.1215. These bills repeal the Safe Drinking Water Act Exemption and require public disclosure of the chemicals in fracking fluid. e Contact ycur state legislators and ask that ECL Section 23"0303 be amended to restore the ability of local governments to enforce zoning, noise and other local ordinances to protect their residents and sensitive areas. Ask, also, that local gDvernments become involved agencies for State Fnvironrnental Quality Review, which will aid their requesting environmental review of drilling permits issued in sensitive local areas. In addition, request that local government officials be notified immediately when drilling permits are issued witl'rin their ju risdiction. o tlontact your local officials to make sure they are preparing for gas drilling: setting up overweight vehicle taxers, enhancing emergency response preparedness, collecting baseline data on land and vt"'ater quality and sensitive areas, and developing tilxes to insure that gas companies, and not residents, pay for the darnages arising from gas clrilling. spans. This fluid contains ffiany toxic cherricals. The gas industry refuses to publicly disclose the specific chemicals used, claiming they are proprieta ry. But scientists a na lyzing samples from spilh; around the country and varieius documents have identified more than 200 chemicals, including benzene, toluene, xylene, kerosene, methanol, formaldehycle, ethylene glycol (antifreeze) arrd hydrochloric acid. Many of tliem c;luse cancer, nervoi.ts svsteln clisorders, deveioprnental disorders, s[lin anrJ lung problems, endocrir:e disruptiorr anci reproduclive clamage; 65 ol tl"rem erre classified as hazardr:us waste {see www, e n d r:c ri n ed i $ ru Bti o n . r:o nr7 ch e rn i ca I s. p h o tos,php ). The fresh u',ater used for hydrofracking is witlrdrav,lrr fronr lccal stfealns, la|t:es ar':d aquifer:; ''"ee: c'f (:'large--"a llcal gift tr: the gas i n d ustry. Disposal and Water Contanrination Some of tire fnacl<ing fluid remain,; underground forever; the rest is pumped out. What comes out is even more hazardous than what went in because fracturing releases radioactive materials, heavy metals ancl salts. J'he rr:sult is rnillions of gallons ,of very toxic fluid, which presents a huge disposal problern. One option is treatment, but it is unclear whether current waste treatment facilities in New York will be ahh: to handle waste lracking fluid without violating their discharge limits. Thus waste may need to I:e trucked to appropriate {'acilities in Pennsylvania. Another disposal option, "deep-well injection," is to pump the waste into non-producing gas wells. This is higltly controversial because toxir; water may migrate through fractures in the rock layers and contemlr,t;l.e loc;rl erquifers :ird clrJnkirrg wells. \A/asteurater also m;ly be str:red cin siter in open, plastic-lined lagoons. These may leak and are hazardous to rrvilrilife. Alternati",relv, waste rnay be stored on site in huge steel tanks, which seems to create th€i fewest environniental lrazards. Despiter indust;ry *l;rims to tire contrai'y, thousands of problems, including spills, leaks and the seepage of contamiriants into dninliing water suppiies, have been documented in fracking operations around the couiltry. Ho,uses, waterwells arrd pipelines have explotled, and people have found methane levels in their water so high that the'y could light it on fire! Although human error and regulation short-cutting may sometinies be to blarne, mor,e disturtring concerns arfise from the imprecise nature of hydrofracking itself: when gas cornpanies fracture ttre shale, they have little control over exactly where fractures wiil clevelnp, so fracturirrg fluids and natural gas can move in unexpected directions, ending up in aqi;il'ers and water wells. Gas drilli.g alsr;r gernr:rates ;rlr [i0l!utan,ls,, s,1me of whlch interact with sunlight to produce ozone, which causes or aggravates numei"ous rusoirertnry prr:blems. In formerly pristine parts of ruralWyoming, gas drilling al the welldensity allowed in our area has created ozone levels higherthan those in Los A,ngeles. Furtht:rmore, unlil<e gas and nil production from traditional wells, extracting Marcellus shale gas is extreinrely rroisy"- large coi11l3i'ils:;{li'5 run around the clock for years to suck out the unpressurized oaqb-'.' Regulatlor''s The oil and gas inclustry, as a result of its massive wealth and lobbying power, is exempt from the federal Ciean lVater Ac-t, the Ciear"r Air Act, Superfund Law, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCflA) and the Toxic Release Inventory of the Right to Know Act (see www,ewg.orglreports/[-ree-lrass-for-Oil-ancJ-Gas/0il-and-Gas-Industry-Exemptions ). The RCRA exenrption is alrnost comical in its applir:ation: although 65 of the chemical constituents of fracking fluid are classified as hazardous under federal laws, the gas industry is exempt from having to treat them as hazardous ':nce they have corne back or"rt o1'a r,rvell (see www.ewg"org/book/export/htmll26649l. Moreo,rer, iil l"i]S1, r\Y F.nr,,,ronmerrtal Conservation Law 23-0303 removed the right of towns and cor,rnties to leg*latc gas drilling; it is cxennpt fronr a[] local ordinances, including noise and planning laws, exr:,lrlt tn35,: co',teritg r'r;C ;se arrrl real ptcrile rtv taxes. This leaves only the DEC ro regerlate and oversee gas drilling. But the DEC itself has gas leases on more than 83,02.n" acr'es of state land, v.rhrch in 2006 earnecl rrearly $9 million for NYS, raising potential conflicts oi'interest. lVloi"e c;oncerning is tlrat tlre DEC has only 1-9 inspectors for the more than 13,000 wells already'acti're in the state. What levelof environnrentaloversight can be provided with such lirnii:ed stal'i? lmpacts r:n Lanclow'ners arrd Communities Alreaciy, al leas'c a trrircj ':iine iarrci arca in lonl;:kins County has been leased to gas companies. Most leases grant surface riglrts, which allovrr activitiels such as drilling, access road construction and long- terrn storage of fracl<ing flLrlds. Landowners receive rnoney when they sign leases and royalty paynients i1'a p;roduc;tive rv,:ll is drilted on or'exlends helow their property. Some welcome the much- need,ecl rni)nev,, hut others are alar nred ancl regret leasing; at the time they signed, hydraulic fracturing was nOt'neing used here. Landowne:rs trying to sell property are cliscovering thitt many people do not want to buy land with leases, and some banks rarely give nrortgagesto per:ple buying homes on land with gas leases-unless surface rights are removerl, People w[.rc,se drinking vrater supplies are contarninated or who live near large clrilliiig operaticns ;are findirig their property values decreasing drarnatically. Lanfiowners neetr gas drilling are strongly ardvised to get their private water wells and surface water tested bv il srate-certified lab before elrilling beggins {a cost of approximateh/ $500 per well)-if no pretesting is clone, they will be unable to prove fault, and thus have no hope of receiving compensation if their wa1.er becolnes cr:nf aminated {see w\ffuv'.cornffiunityscience.org/gaswells.html). lf at leasl: 6{J percent of the lan,C arr:rtind you is leased, you rnay be forced to have your land included in a "spacirrg unit." This "compulsory integration" alloiru:i the gas company to drill horizontally and inject toxic fracl<ing 1'luids untler your property, but they may not set foot on your land. They must pay you the standerrcl 12.5 perceftt rr:yalty{clranygastheytdke. Even if you are notforced into a spacing unit, eminent elomain r,ray he ltsed to lolite 1:ipelirlc-'s across your land. Many con'lrnunlties have incurred high costs for hos'ting gas drilling (see htlp://nercrd.p$u"edu/Publications/rdppapens/rdp43.pdf ). In addition to increased dust, noise and traffic (the fracking of just one well requires about L,0tl0 tanker loads), there are significant monetary cclst$: repair oi serrerre rOed and krrirCg*: dan-'rag{:, froni heavy trucks, and increased emergency response per:i,:nnr:! ltnrX training to cli:aluritlr spi!ls;, cirernicalfires and explosions. And, what effect will inclustrialir:tiun arrd r:r:llutl,:n hr,r,'e on r--ur Incal indr.,tstries, such as farming, rvineries and tourism? The Larger Picture Son,e ar11r;e tliart we shoulcl support n;;tura! Eas--a "clleaner" fuel than coal and oil-because it contrikruies less icl glohelwarmiriF. Lia;i {ool<s rnuch terss rosy, hOwever, when the environmentaland societai r:usrs of its extracii+fl are c$nsiclerecl. fr4orer:ver, it is still a fossilfuel-and both its extraction ancJ burning ccn1ribr.rte sigirrificantly to global warming. We must ask the critical que$tions: To what lengths errcl level ol environnrental destnuction are ure willing to go to delaythe inevitable switch to truo alteri.*lrtivn errre rgy, such as solar, tidal ;rncl wind power? Will we destroy the Arctic National Wilcllite Rs:fr;gr:, ciurr offshcre ilsheries, the rennaining mountains of West Virginia, the Finger Lakes Region and ihc Catskills (the source of New York City's drinlling water) to get at every last drop and wisp of fuel? How can we effectiveiy change our National Energy Policy so that no one and no area mi;st belr i!res': l:urciens? Eve n as ,,,,,r: :ol'r';inue tn user fosqil fu'si, it is r-ri,crinscirrnetble not to ask: Are there some places whose best urse.s, cven th,:ru6,h ths't harhclr \/ast amounts of fcr,ssil fuel, are tourism, recreation, wilderness, wilellifc l'rt': itat, farn",irrg, '*rine-prni-lucitrg or or:aceful countrv living? www.pressconnects.corn I Frinter-fiiendlv article page September 18, 2009 Hazardous chemicals oited in drilting spill Pa. officials monitoring creek; test r:esutrts expected next week By Tont Wilber twilber@gannelt.conl DIMOCK pa. - Drilling fluids that spilled into the headwaters of stevens creek contain a class of hazardous chemicatstafieO vofatifd organic compounds, according to the latest information from environmental officials. Biologists rryith the state Departrrent of Environmerrtal Pr0t-ectir:n took samples Thursday from various ipotr"in the creek tn g*ti k;utter iclea of the chemicals ancl their risks, said Mark Carmon, a r'pot ".rnun for the agsncy. Results are expectecl next weak' The testing came after cabot oil & Gas reported hetween 6,000 and 8,000 gallons of an agent used to stimulate naturat gis production leaked from the Heitsman Well and flowed into a wetland that feeds the creek. The material is usect as a lubricant to ease resistance in chemical solutions pumped into the ground under high pressure to fracture bedrock ancl release natutal gas. lt's designed to dissolve in water, making it difficutt to ru.nuur, carmon saio. otticials are unsuie how it willlnteract with water and soil' Volatile organlc conrpouttds, or VOC$, includtl a range of chemicals, mani/ of which are toxic and carcinogenlc. ,,There are a lot of questions," Carmon said. "We are taking this step by step'" That includes evaluating risks the spill may po$e to an a[uifer that supplies rl6nking water In the rural community' Documents kept on site, intended to detail properti^es-and hazards of drilling fluids, were "relatively vague,,, Carmon *u'J. ii'u sfreets, called fuiaterial Safety and Data Sheets, document hazardous materials at industrial sites to help emergency responcier{i gauge risks associated with spills or acctdents. The gas industry rs exelmpt frorn a provision rn thel federa! Cleran Drinking Water Act that requires full disclosure of cheini;als injecterl into the grounO -- an issue that has raisecl protests among advocates seeking tougher ovr:rsight Some small aquatic life in the creek was str,:$sed or killed by ihe spill, although there were no early signs it harmed larger fislr, Carmon said' Page 1 of 1 http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.clll/article?AID:/20090918/r{Ews01/909i 80373&template=pri"' 912112009 SATIJRDAY, SEPTEITBER X9, 2OA9 Marcellus Shale: DXMOCK, PA UIIDATE A Sept. 1B Binghamton Press &,Sun-Bul,letin article on the spitl reports that: "some smatt aquatic tife in the creek was stressed or kitted by the spitt, atthough there were no earty signs it harmed larger fish, carmon said." POSTED B'/ SPLASHDOWII AT 3:58 PM I COMI\4ENTS +' LABELS: DEATH, HYDRAULIC FRACTURING, WATER Real people Talk About TIJTE FACB OF REALITY on the Marcellus shale THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE: "l found out there was a spitl orl Wedrresday night at a meeting with Cabot- someone asked them about a spiit ancl they acted, at first, tike they did not know about one, and then they scrid yes there had been two that day but it was just harmtess get *nothing serious- they said nrothing they use is harmfut. The chemicats used are just a thimbte futt" 8,50ilJ gcfft:ns is a pretty large thimble!!! I questioned their water speciatist what was this ge[- "was it tet's say safe enough to shave rnry tegs r,vith?" and he said "Why yes!" The owners of the tand where the spilts to6k plac€,v\rere not notified" Thev asked "l own that [and, shoutdn't you have told me?" I spr;ke (actuatty I yetted - [ rrvas sr: upsert) to DEP this morning and Mark carmen said ',ca[l the Governc]r- we c;ln't do anything"" I said if you had let these guys know frorn da5, r.rne- they harj to rJo things veny careful,ty here in PA if they wanted to get permits, or t.lre f{nes,,vouttd be sL*ep- tlr{ngs woutd be better than they are! DEp js afraiej to stanel up to t[]e rgas corlrpany AllD the governor. DEP attows the gas company to drit[ jr-rst atroilt anyvrhere they want! I asked DEP awhite ago if it was a goo.c iclea tc dritt there in tlie wettancjs ancl he said he was worried too- wetl who is in charge here? T!-'lE GAS CCIMP"ANY FR.Oil/r,Ah!OTh[ER' STATE!!!" "l-ast evening a groLlp) crf a do:zen err so nesidents of Dirn0ck met with Cabot Oit and Gas. Oq;r request was simpte: water. The stories were totcl and it was heartwrenching to say the least. I cannot believe the courage these foiks hrael tast night. I am proud to be t.heir neighbor' lronicatty the gas company brought their investors in the day before to show off their "pl'ize" Dimock. We are a prize- they stote our land for S25 an acre, they d,educt fronr ther nninimum royatties"' I imagine the in'restors s1.ni[e ancl nocl at the "nnanicured" wett sites they were shown- white the residents buy and haul water to their homes. I'm surer they di4 n6r, poin.t ourt the h6rnes y,rithr the water tanks behind them disconnected fror",r their water,ryells! I'm sure they didn't show thern the tatest round of spills or teaks -hey maybe the invesl.ons inlclu[tln't care about that- it doesn't stop the money from ftop,ing, [t certain[y rdoesn't stop tlre permitting or dritting! Fortunes made of other's rflisfsrtuners -tough [uck- we gntr:lra and that. is the way it is. They woutd not, coutd nr:t gffer us water. They bl.;rnned DEP. Onty if DEP said they had to would they prov.ide r-ls w'ith vrater, hnwever they cl,o provicle water for some. Yet they say the gas company is herg for thre duration antl thery vrant tCI be good neighbors? Good neighbors to,ryhom'l Goeicl neighhors bririg yr:u'na!:r:r - not take it away! ..." FOCID FCR T!{OUG,FIT: "l know tlris; frnrn f irst hand experienee with my famity, some of our neighbors and secr':nd anrj t.hird haneJ rtrrncrs fnom this tovtrn ilnd the next town over: Every lanci nlrrney tlrnt is flght-ing an individrral battle with a gas company is fighting a [one[.v, p6irr;i'le [:;rtt!.c', Peropt:,sett[e;ail. t-kre time. Corlfidentiatity agreements are signe,C ati t"he, tin're. 31r€ry frcnsglressiar by hrg gas seems to resul't in another hopeless sitwotian for opather pawe,r{Ess {nncfowner. lt happens atl the time and never gets int* the, r'!e\A's. Rr:y,alties are nothing eo'rnpared to tegal fees. The companies fight tike he6, bec.ilJs{} evely vir::f,ory ts a vir:tci"y folindustry, every count case sets a prececterit. /\ctivists must recq:gn'ize tl'r'!:; ar'le{ reaLize the vrork that needs to be done righI ncrn,on t-he front lines cf ga.s elriil.ing. l.andovriners need organization and REAL tangibte 'i,3Sfir"ti"c€s that gr: hrn)/oncl "hovr to s'ign a 'good [ease"' or "how to convince hiclts thai g1e:: rlrittin.g sueks". \rVe need rc.:aI hr:nest-to-goodness public interest lawyers not snal..e.oi[-sale:;-il€t.r-ffidk*-a-'riig-Lrucfir.-gas-berom lawyers. We need legal funds for the inrpc-tant cnses, F*r ,:,xampl.e, here in lllevr York no precedent has been set on whetfier nns cCItl'tpany's r,vetl in one layen hatds another company's lease in another layer in production, or whether a no stcrrage ctause in a unit landowner's [ease could prevent a neighbor's injecticin wett. CIr v,,hether a town can strip corporate personhood and demand accountabititlr. We meed a comprehensive tegat strategy. Right now atl tha[ is stancling be,tween l'{ew York stafre arret the gas companies having what ever they want is a few individt.rals-regu[ar Joes and Jitts with the gumption to put everythring on the tine. And I can tett Ve]{J nCI one has the money to tast very [ong. One thing that has become very ctear to me since dritting came to my town 5 years ago. Dritting'vs. no dritLing is a lr:ose r hiqttte" Sois singting out the victims, or blaming lan6owne.rs. This is ps11y only serve:; to diviele the peopte and strengthen the gas industnSr" r\t clur [ast" tcl'rvur $oard rn*eting, our Supenv'isor said "l am not for or against gas dritting. But I arn fr;r prolect"ing crur water." we need to get over oursetves and get togethe r on the real, issue," [-k:vr nranir ri]ore people, ptaces, streams are going to be sacrifjcctl befcre vue get it?" Thcnfts f:,r, fhe pe,op{il,r,l.ih,: nfdnwsd fi'lerr {.herrlrghfs and feelings to be shared here today. As tke gcs rnr{psfry rfi{}y,ss in'to rx.tr ci'{',ft wtfh greater and greater volume and rilfensrfy, wil firr? tsping f*rc,::rJ fo ffiink nhct.tf thrngs we never had to thinkabout bef nre, fl;"td fh,s!,n,r'e ds,mrlrrdfng r:nrrslcrrll"sfitlns to say the least. What is required of usfsfh,:rf lvsknob!,score, andth,atvrespenk up...intkenameof cleanwater,land, air and tlErnocracy... our vital. resawrces!