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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-05-31• Town of Dryden Conservation Board Meeting; Minutes May 31, 2011 SMembers Present: Nancy Munkenbeck, Milo Richmond, Charles Smith, David Makar, Craig Schutt, Bard, Bob Beck, Supervisor Sumner (Absent: Steve Bissen, Stanley Marcus, Peter Davies) Additional Staff Present: Jane Nicholson Agenda: I. Agenda - Additions, deletions, adjustments. 2. EMC Update 3. Old Business — a. Open Space Plan 4. Town Board Update - This is an opportunity for the Town Board liaison and/or the Town Supervisor or other Town Board members to address the Conservation Board. 5. New Business: Call to order: Nancy Munkenbeck, 7:39PM Nancy: Old businesses; EMC report, April 13`h— covered Ithaca College sustainability plan, UNA, gas drilling, major update on UNA's (Darby Municipal Report —gas drilling task force, ® state forest management plan, land bank biomass project; Cayuga Heights Municipal Report; Caroline Municipal Report — energy independent Caroline (LED Streetlights) is Discussion regarding offering Peter Davies a leave of absence for one year. Unanimous vote to offer Peter leave of absence from his position for one year from September, 20111 Follow -up Mary Ann about the laws /rules Continued discussion to make a motion to allow for a temporary interim position. Nancy: All in favor of Craig's motion that we have a defined period an "Interim Position as a Voting Member on the Board" All in favor, Unanimous. Bob: Should be open to the community that this is open, and should be advertised. Blurbs welcome in the 'Town Newsletter. Nancy: Discussion of Steve Bissen absence. Should we vote to operate under rules that have not been passed? Milo: They have not acted on it yet, we can work with it or wait. Town Board Update (Mary Ann): n u 1 0 Mary Ann: Gas Drilling in "town Newsletter; important to emphasize what we're doing; hoping to get the CEA's on in July... Zoning/Drilling for June as a slight more priority. Hyperlinks on • the Town's website. Nancy: Aquifer protection? Mary Ann: Might be included. We did authorize a Draft law banning gas drilling. Just a proposed draft. Working with Town of Ulysses and Ithaca to see if this will work. We have four drafts. Concerns —how quick will we be hit with a lawsuit? There is no interest in 'Tompkins County yet; (racking community doesn't feel that way. It's likely that the DEC will publish SGEIS by July I"; if they do, the 30 day comment period will be required, many 90 days. At end ot'comment period, will still be a draft. DEC will have to write PETS. We still have a couple of months on this. Town can't regulate process, but can regulate associated use (such that if the 'Town is 95% CEA) Description of horizontal versus vertical fracking. New technique is longer distances horizontally but involves sandy stuff that keeps cracks open; Marcellus Shale has radioactivity of its own. Shale in PA is 250ft thick, closer to surface here (4,000 ft), Black River is 7000 ft deep. If they did get a permit to revise Black River, could go into Marcellus Shale. is there a way that we can limit Marcellus drilling versus other type of drilling. Trenton Black River is still an open application. DEC records, 3 of 6 were targeting Oriskany Sandstone, other 3 targeted Black River. None of them were successful. All the ones that have been drilled have been capped andJor abandoned. Methane or no, there are accessory uses —huge amount of trucking and piping (industrial uses), • they wouldn't put a trucking system in here (we're on the way to nothing) —this area is less attractive than the southern tier Volumes of water alone, will drill water and store fracked water. "Techniques are improving, being recycled. Nancy* Motion to Adjourn at 9 *00PM •