Friday, May 27, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
The Corporate Attack on Water
Those of us involved in this fight on hydrofracking are acutely aware of the perils of this unregulated industry that serves only to build piles and piles of cash for a very few while destroying the quality of life for many.
Well, the quality of life is about to be utterly destroyed, not by hydrofracking per se, but by the theft of New York's pristine water supply by the robber barons. Right now, in the NY Senate, there is a bill being fast-tracked called the Water Withdrawl Bill, which literally GIVES our water to the hydrofrackers and water bottling companies. No tax, no lease, no cut, no residuals - when this state is in such dire circumstances, we are GIVING AWAY OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE.
If you're inspired to do something about it, watch the video I made on YouTube which will guide you to find your NY state senator. Call, email, fax, send notes.... do whatever you can to make your voice heard that this is unacceptable.
Of course, this has been going on around the world for years, and maybe I'm naive to think that it wouldn't happen in New York. But we are now on the brink of one of the most dangerous changes in history; when only the people who can afford it will have access to clean fresh water in what is supposed to be the most advanced civilization in the history of the world.
Well, the quality of life is about to be utterly destroyed, not by hydrofracking per se, but by the theft of New York's pristine water supply by the robber barons. Right now, in the NY Senate, there is a bill being fast-tracked called the Water Withdrawl Bill, which literally GIVES our water to the hydrofrackers and water bottling companies. No tax, no lease, no cut, no residuals - when this state is in such dire circumstances, we are GIVING AWAY OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE.
If you're inspired to do something about it, watch the video I made on YouTube which will guide you to find your NY state senator. Call, email, fax, send notes.... do whatever you can to make your voice heard that this is unacceptable.
Of course, this has been going on around the world for years, and maybe I'm naive to think that it wouldn't happen in New York. But we are now on the brink of one of the most dangerous changes in history; when only the people who can afford it will have access to clean fresh water in what is supposed to be the most advanced civilization in the history of the world.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Water Withdrawal Bill (A5318A)
We need to stop legislation that is barreling through the New York Assembly. The water withdrawal bill (A5318A) being considered in Albany will have a huge impact on your rights to our fresh water.
Call and e-mail our state leaders - TODAY! - and tell them to hold hearings on this bill to present the facts about what it will do to our precious fresh water rights in New York State.
Why is it so important that this bill be stopped? Because the proposed bill only requires permits for users of more than 100,000 gallons of water per day. Households use 300 gallons per day, max. But small haulers servicing the fracking industry could use this loophole to extract tens of thousands of gallons from area streams and lakes each and every day without so much as a permit!
In conflicts over rights to water usage, permit holders will have priority water rights over other users, those of us who use far less than 100,000 gallons of water per day!
Speaker Sheldon Silver is well aware of the dangers of fracking and the contamination to our clean drinking water it will cause. But he needs to hear from you that the water withdrawal bill moving through the Assembly is a giveaway of our fresh water rights to the fracking industry.
Call Speaker Sheldon Silver's office at 518-455-3791, or go to his website HERE <http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=064&%3Bsh=contact> to send him an e-mail.
Call your local representative.
Call bill's sponsor, Assemblyman Robert Sweeney at 631-957-2087.
Call the governor's office at (518) 474-8390 or send a message on his website HERE <http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php> . Ask him not to give away our water rights to the gas and water bottling industries. Say we need his leadership on this critical issue.
Tell our state leaders to stop this bill from becoming law. Tell them to hold a hearing to consider all the facts before our precious rights and clean water become a thing of the past.
Please disseminate this to your members and affiliated groups. Thanks,
The Coalition to Protect New York
www.coalitiontoprotectnewyork.org/ <http://www.coalitiontoprotectnewyork.org/>
Thank you, Tom Noonan
PS: The email and website addresses are altered when Facebook forwards them - use the original Facebook email please.
Call and e-mail our state leaders - TODAY! - and tell them to hold hearings on this bill to present the facts about what it will do to our precious fresh water rights in New York State.
Why is it so important that this bill be stopped? Because the proposed bill only requires permits for users of more than 100,000 gallons of water per day. Households use 300 gallons per day, max. But small haulers servicing the fracking industry could use this loophole to extract tens of thousands of gallons from area streams and lakes each and every day without so much as a permit!
In conflicts over rights to water usage, permit holders will have priority water rights over other users, those of us who use far less than 100,000 gallons of water per day!
Speaker Sheldon Silver is well aware of the dangers of fracking and the contamination to our clean drinking water it will cause. But he needs to hear from you that the water withdrawal bill moving through the Assembly is a giveaway of our fresh water rights to the fracking industry.
Call Speaker Sheldon Silver's office at 518-455-3791, or go to his website HERE <http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=064&%3Bsh=contact> to send him an e-mail.
Call your local representative.
Call bill's sponsor, Assemblyman Robert Sweeney at 631-957-2087.
Call the governor's office at (518) 474-8390 or send a message on his website HERE <http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php> . Ask him not to give away our water rights to the gas and water bottling industries. Say we need his leadership on this critical issue.
Tell our state leaders to stop this bill from becoming law. Tell them to hold a hearing to consider all the facts before our precious rights and clean water become a thing of the past.
Please disseminate this to your members and affiliated groups. Thanks,
The Coalition to Protect New York
www.coalitiontoprotectnewyork.org/ <http://www.coalitiontoprotectnewyork.org/>
Thank you, Tom Noonan
PS: The email and website addresses are altered when Facebook forwards them - use the original Facebook email please.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
My statement to the DRBC last night
I'm Meg Montgomery, a Liberty resident.
To anyone who cares at all for facts, there is a mountain of proof and testimony that illustrates beyond a shadow of a doubt how insanely dangerous hydrofracking is, to our water, our environment, and to our very way of life.
Hydrofracking is a Weapon of Mass Destruction. It's just one WMD in a much larger war on the democratic process and the people of this great country.
The economic purpose of hydrofracking is to funnel trillions of dollars into the hands of the plutocrats, who don't pay taxes. It's political purpose is to destroy the health and livelihoods of those within its range, rendering them powerless, or dead. This is the express purpose of the Halliburton Loophole.
In a time when we have the technology to quickly and safely transition to a Renewable economy, instead we're battered by the blind greed of the 2% who want to squeeze every last drop of fossil fuel out of the ground, every last penny out of OUR pockets, and to destroy our Constitutional Liberties.
If you, the members of the DRBC, pave the way for hydrofracking in the Delaware River Basin, which supplies drinking water to almost 20 million people in NY, NJ and PA, you will be willing accomplices to a terrorist attack the likes of which this country has never seen.
To anyone who cares at all for facts, there is a mountain of proof and testimony that illustrates beyond a shadow of a doubt how insanely dangerous hydrofracking is, to our water, our environment, and to our very way of life.
Hydrofracking is a Weapon of Mass Destruction. It's just one WMD in a much larger war on the democratic process and the people of this great country.
The economic purpose of hydrofracking is to funnel trillions of dollars into the hands of the plutocrats, who don't pay taxes. It's political purpose is to destroy the health and livelihoods of those within its range, rendering them powerless, or dead. This is the express purpose of the Halliburton Loophole.
In a time when we have the technology to quickly and safely transition to a Renewable economy, instead we're battered by the blind greed of the 2% who want to squeeze every last drop of fossil fuel out of the ground, every last penny out of OUR pockets, and to destroy our Constitutional Liberties.
If you, the members of the DRBC, pave the way for hydrofracking in the Delaware River Basin, which supplies drinking water to almost 20 million people in NY, NJ and PA, you will be willing accomplices to a terrorist attack the likes of which this country has never seen.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
DRBC Hearings This Week!
the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is holding public hearings on their proposed natural gas development regulations in Liberty, NY, Honesdale, PA and Trenton, NJ (details below). It is critical that we show up in force to give testimony and let the DRBC know how concerned we are about what they plan to do.
The DRBC is the federal/interstate government agency responsible for managing the water resources within the 13,539 square-mile Delaware River Basin, which supplies drinking water for 17,000,000 people. The Delaware is the longest free flowing river in the eastern United States and its waters have been designated for special protection by the federal government. Last year, Americans Rivers designated the Delaware as the most endangered river in the United States because of the threat of gas drilling.
The regulations that the DRBC is proposing will determine under what conditions permits can be issued for gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin. So far the DRBC has ignored urgent pleas from elected governmental officials and scientific experts not to release their regulations until the science from a planned cumulative impact study and the study being done by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can be completed. This is just one of many shortcomings of the regulations under consideration. To learn more about this issue click here.
There are two locations in our area that will both be having meetings on February 22nd. Please plan to attend the one that is nearest to you.
Feb. 22 - Honesdale High School Auditorium, 459 Terrace Street, Honesdale, PA
Feb. 22 - Liberty High School Auditorium, 125 Buckley Street, Liberty, NY
Feb. 24 - Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, NJ
Note: The hearings will be held from 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM at each location. To testify you must register one hour prior to the beginning of each session (12:30 PM and 5:00 PM). Testimony is limited to two minutes and will be scheduled on first-come basis. The DRBC anticipates that they will be able to hear 75 people at each venue, so please come early.
Written comments will be accepted through the close of business March 16, 2011 by either electronic or paper submission. CLICK HERE to link to the DRBC website to conveniently comment or write to The Commission Secretary, DRBC, PO Box 7360, 25 State Police Drive, West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360. All comments need to include the name, address, and affiliation (if any) of the commenter. Paper submissions will also be accepted at the three public hearings.
The DRBC has continued to act unilaterally without appropriate concern for the will or interests the region's residents. It is critical that we come out in numbers, voice our opposition to their plan and show the DRBC how important this is to our community.
The DRBC is the federal/interstate government agency responsible for managing the water resources within the 13,539 square-mile Delaware River Basin, which supplies drinking water for 17,000,000 people. The Delaware is the longest free flowing river in the eastern United States and its waters have been designated for special protection by the federal government. Last year, Americans Rivers designated the Delaware as the most endangered river in the United States because of the threat of gas drilling.
The regulations that the DRBC is proposing will determine under what conditions permits can be issued for gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin. So far the DRBC has ignored urgent pleas from elected governmental officials and scientific experts not to release their regulations until the science from a planned cumulative impact study and the study being done by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can be completed. This is just one of many shortcomings of the regulations under consideration. To learn more about this issue click here.
There are two locations in our area that will both be having meetings on February 22nd. Please plan to attend the one that is nearest to you.
Feb. 22 - Honesdale High School Auditorium, 459 Terrace Street, Honesdale, PA
Feb. 22 - Liberty High School Auditorium, 125 Buckley Street, Liberty, NY
Feb. 24 - Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, NJ
Note: The hearings will be held from 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM at each location. To testify you must register one hour prior to the beginning of each session (12:30 PM and 5:00 PM). Testimony is limited to two minutes and will be scheduled on first-come basis. The DRBC anticipates that they will be able to hear 75 people at each venue, so please come early.
Written comments will be accepted through the close of business March 16, 2011 by either electronic or paper submission. CLICK HERE to link to the DRBC website to conveniently comment or write to The Commission Secretary, DRBC, PO Box 7360, 25 State Police Drive, West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360. All comments need to include the name, address, and affiliation (if any) of the commenter. Paper submissions will also be accepted at the three public hearings.
The DRBC has continued to act unilaterally without appropriate concern for the will or interests the region's residents. It is critical that we come out in numbers, voice our opposition to their plan and show the DRBC how important this is to our community.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Frack Attack: A Love Song to the World
Well, it's February already and the city of Buffalo has voted to ban hydrofracking. SLAM! Great news! But, the gas industry is still building the gas pipelines through the state, and there's rumblings and grumblings about what's going to happen in NY in a few months when the Hydrofracking Moratorium ends. Can this new administration hold steady against the gas industry, that's throwing millions of dollars around trying to discredit Josh Fox, the writer/director of the wildly successful documentary Gasland? They're also going all out to try to dismantle the EPA, btw.
What's happened in NY state has been unprecedented, but the reality is that hydrofracking is spreading like a bad disease - Ohio and France are the latest casualties that I'm aware of. How can we protect our drinking water?
Being a musician, it occurred to me that perhaps one of the most powerful ways to spread the word about what's happening is through music, so I sat myself down and wrote a tune called Frack Attack. I hooked up with 3 of the strongest organizations who have educated the citizens and pressured the legislature, and I'm donating half of the profits to them (Catskill Mountainkeeper, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, and Un-Naturalgas.org. (Lest you think I am greedy or selfish for only giving half, be aware that most of the other half will go to administrative costs, taxes, and if anything is left, to the musicians who so selflessly gave their time and talents to this song!)
We had the final recording session last weekend and we're now in the process of mixing and mastering. I'm going to release Frack Attack on Monday - Valentines Day - and I sincerely hope that you'll help spread the word. The website is www.frack-attack.com. I'm opening it up to musicians to remix, so there will be many versions to choose from over time!
What's happened in NY state has been unprecedented, but the reality is that hydrofracking is spreading like a bad disease - Ohio and France are the latest casualties that I'm aware of. How can we protect our drinking water?
Being a musician, it occurred to me that perhaps one of the most powerful ways to spread the word about what's happening is through music, so I sat myself down and wrote a tune called Frack Attack. I hooked up with 3 of the strongest organizations who have educated the citizens and pressured the legislature, and I'm donating half of the profits to them (Catskill Mountainkeeper, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, and Un-Naturalgas.org. (Lest you think I am greedy or selfish for only giving half, be aware that most of the other half will go to administrative costs, taxes, and if anything is left, to the musicians who so selflessly gave their time and talents to this song!)
We had the final recording session last weekend and we're now in the process of mixing and mastering. I'm going to release Frack Attack on Monday - Valentines Day - and I sincerely hope that you'll help spread the word. The website is www.frack-attack.com. I'm opening it up to musicians to remix, so there will be many versions to choose from over time!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Finally, a Deal Has Been Struck!
It's a victory, for sure. Although Governor Paterson declined the bill passed overwhelmingly by the House and the Senate, he instead issued an executive order which states that there will be a moratorium on Horizontal Well Hydrofracking until June of 2011.
The grandness in this victory is that we have become the first state - the first government - to legally obstruct hydrofracking, which is truly astounding. It is a great accomplishment.
Unfortunately, what Paterson did was to eliminate important restrictions concerning vertical drilling, in the name of the economy. It was vertical drilling that contaminated the water at Dimmock, PA. Although they have only drilled a few vertical wells so far in NY's Marcellus, the way is now open for more drilling.
So, this is the new fight.... to expand the restrictions on drilling to include ALL potentially dangerous forms of drilling.
The grandness in this victory is that we have become the first state - the first government - to legally obstruct hydrofracking, which is truly astounding. It is a great accomplishment.
Unfortunately, what Paterson did was to eliminate important restrictions concerning vertical drilling, in the name of the economy. It was vertical drilling that contaminated the water at Dimmock, PA. Although they have only drilled a few vertical wells so far in NY's Marcellus, the way is now open for more drilling.
So, this is the new fight.... to expand the restrictions on drilling to include ALL potentially dangerous forms of drilling.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Looking for Hope in a Dark World
Well, we all wanted to celebrate a few days back when the NY state senate voted to pass the resolution to put a Moratorium on Hydrofracking with a 2 - 1 margin. It was a huge, fabulous victory for those of us who have fought to stop hydrofracking in this state, which protects fresh drinking water for millions upon millions upon millions of Americans.
But.
Governor Paterson failed to sign the bill into law. And this, AFTER he went on the record, on radio, saying that "The Anti Hydrofrackers have Won. They Taught Us How Dangerous this Practice Is".
Looks like there was some behind-the-scenes strong-arming by the gas industry, because if, in fact, this bill WAS signed into law, it would have preciptated a tidal wave effect throughout the country, allowing state governments to put a halt to the greed-feeding-frenzy of the natural gas industry. Which, by the way, we don't need because we already have enough at this point in time! Everything that comes up is now sold to CHINA!!!
So. I honestly can't blame Paterson for caving in to the pressure of the Gas Mafia. I'm sure their tactics are as dirty as it gets, and after all, he wasn't even elected into office.
So.... despairing for the place where I live, where I'm raising my son, I continue to look for hope in this darkness.
In Orange County, just down the mountains from us and out of range of the Marcellus Shale, they've just broken ground on a Biomass Plant, which would effectively turn NYC's garbage into it's power.
And it's based on this model, which has been hugely successful.
But it means that recycling is SOOOOO important, and I want you to take the utmost responsibility to make sure that you are recycling 100% and urging those around you to do the same. Perhaps we can combat these idiotic greedy fascists by surviving after they've killed themselves off.
But.
Governor Paterson failed to sign the bill into law. And this, AFTER he went on the record, on radio, saying that "The Anti Hydrofrackers have Won. They Taught Us How Dangerous this Practice Is".
Looks like there was some behind-the-scenes strong-arming by the gas industry, because if, in fact, this bill WAS signed into law, it would have preciptated a tidal wave effect throughout the country, allowing state governments to put a halt to the greed-feeding-frenzy of the natural gas industry. Which, by the way, we don't need because we already have enough at this point in time! Everything that comes up is now sold to CHINA!!!
So. I honestly can't blame Paterson for caving in to the pressure of the Gas Mafia. I'm sure their tactics are as dirty as it gets, and after all, he wasn't even elected into office.
So.... despairing for the place where I live, where I'm raising my son, I continue to look for hope in this darkness.
In Orange County, just down the mountains from us and out of range of the Marcellus Shale, they've just broken ground on a Biomass Plant, which would effectively turn NYC's garbage into it's power.
And it's based on this model, which has been hugely successful.
But it means that recycling is SOOOOO important, and I want you to take the utmost responsibility to make sure that you are recycling 100% and urging those around you to do the same. Perhaps we can combat these idiotic greedy fascists by surviving after they've killed themselves off.
Friday, November 5, 2010
I'm Gonna Go Out and Dance.
I'm feeling like someone kicked me in the stomach. I can barely breathe, or think straight. The sellout of our environment is weeks from happening. Obama has caved. Paterson has dismantled New York's environmental protection. The EPA is even telling people in NYC to not drink the water!!!
I don't know where to look to find hope, or strength. It looks to me right now like greed is gonna win, and I just don't know what to do or what to say.... so tonight, I'm going to go out and dance. Because what else is there, if we can't find the smallest joys in our lives?
I don't know where to look to find hope, or strength. It looks to me right now like greed is gonna win, and I just don't know what to do or what to say.... so tonight, I'm going to go out and dance. Because what else is there, if we can't find the smallest joys in our lives?
Monday, November 1, 2010
Voting is IMPERATIVE!!!
I've certainly gone through different phases in my life - from being a political activist to completely apathetic - so I understand why people feel like not putting out the effort to vote tomorrow, given the state of politics. But I truly believe that we're at a turning point right now, and if we allow the far right to take over our political landscape, we will never be able to turn it back.
Tea Partiers are talking war and violence to get their way, and they sound just like crying little 3 year olds who scream to get their toys back. In the worlds of behavioral experts, like "Cave Men".
So, to go out and cast your vote for non-extremist candidates tomorrow is to vote for sanity, progress and democracy. To NOT vote is in actuality a vote for regression and the cultivation of a society based on fear, and fear alone.
It's a few minutes out of your day.... make those minutes count!
VOTE on Tuesday November 2nd!!!
Tea Partiers are talking war and violence to get their way, and they sound just like crying little 3 year olds who scream to get their toys back. In the worlds of behavioral experts, like "Cave Men".
So, to go out and cast your vote for non-extremist candidates tomorrow is to vote for sanity, progress and democracy. To NOT vote is in actuality a vote for regression and the cultivation of a society based on fear, and fear alone.
It's a few minutes out of your day.... make those minutes count!
VOTE on Tuesday November 2nd!!!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Why Should You Vote for David Sager?
Following is a letter recently posted that fully describes David Sager's agenda:
October 2010
Dear Friends and Supporters,
It's hard to believe it's already October with only two weeks to go until Election Day on November 2nd! The Sager for Senate Campaign is working hard each day, making huge strides in getting the word out to as many voters as possible about the reform platform of the Sager candidacy and the significant differences between David and his opponent, the ethically challenged John Bonacic.
It is becoming more and more obvious to people why they should vote for David Sager over an entrenched incumbent like John Bonacic but, we need your help to extend our reach. Your continued support and donations will help us to effectively execute our media plan through radio, print advertisements and mailings right up through election day.
David has traveled across the 42nd Senate District and has had the opportunity to meet thousands of wonderful and concerned residents. By now, many of you have had the chance to get to know David, and you have seen and heard what a great Senator he will be for us. The energy, passion, and issues he has defined as urgent prove that there is no substitute for hard work and integrity.
But, let's not kid ourselves. Forging a victory over an incumbent with a war chest the size of John Bonacic's won't be easy. We still have a lot of work in front of us reaching more voters.
In order to be successful on our road to the New York State Senate, we continue to need your help - It's as simple as logging onto and clicking the blue ACT BLUE button to donate on-line or please consider sending a donation to support David Sager for Senate. You can do this by mailing a check to: David Sager for State Senate, PO Box 295, Jeffersonville, New York 12748.
If you feel, as many New Yorkers do, that there is a difference between government as it is and government as it should be, then meet David Sager Democratic candidate for New York's 42nd Senatorial district.
ABOUT DAVID SAGER
David Sager has spent the greater part of his life in the 42nd State Senate District. He grew up in the Village of Monticello in Sullivan County, the son of a small business owner and an elementary school teacher. After graduating from Monticello High School in 1989, he went on to receive a degree as a Doctor of Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, New York, after which he returned to his roots in Sullivan County. It is in this rural agricultural region of Western Sullivan County that David lives with his wife Michelle and their two young sons, Owen and Dylan.
In 1999, David Sager became the youngest county-wide elected coroner in Sullivan County history and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2003 to a second term. In 2007, he ran for the Sullivan County Legislature, where he has served for the past two and a half years. Now, in 2010, he is running as a Democratic candidate for the 42nd District Senatorial seat in Albany.
DAVID'S PLATFORM
ETHICS REFORM - David Sager believes in the law, good government and its ability to work for everyone. David will fight for tougher laws that govern both individual behavior and conflict of interest thresholds by politicians and stricter laws to govern campaign finance. Sager's platform is based on proposal forwarded by the Brennan Center at New York University.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - David Sager is an advocate for forward-thinking, and environmentally sound, regional growth. He believes in “smart growth” and development which both provides economic growth and appropriate and meaningful stewardship over our water and and land. He believes the 42nd Senate district can become an east coast Silicon Valley for alternative energy.
AGRICULTURE - As State Senator, he will work to make sure that farmers get the respect and compensation they deserve for the products they provide and vital role they play in our communities.
PROPERTY TAX REFORM - David Sager wants to fight to make significant changes in the way education is paid for through property taxes. He also wants to have an open discussion about the qualifications for tax-exempt status.
EDUCATION - David Sager believes that as global economic competition increases, education is paramount in providing our future generations with the proper tools for success. He believes we need to rethink some of our basic notions about what we teach and how we teach it. For instance, he asks, “Why are our schools not teaching Mandarin.?”
FLOOD MITIGATION/NYC WATERSHED - David Sager will work aggressively with the NYDEC to provide effective, lasting and environmentally sensitive flood relief to local residents while working with city and state officials, to bring everybody to the table in order to meet the challenges of providing safe water for everyone.
GAS DRILLING - David is willing to ask the most difficult questions not only about the environment and drinking water, but also about home rule and the right for towns to have a say in their destiny (including site plan review by local planning boards, infrastructure and road maintenance, and quality of life).
EQUALITY - David Sager believe in the rights of citizens to enjoy personal privacy and exercise their constitutional rights free from discrimination of any type, whether it be based upon age, color, creed, national origin, gender or sexual orientation is basic to every human being's right to secure happiness for themselves and those most dear to them. David supports marriage equality.
Vote for David Sager because Albany cannot change by itself!
October 2010
Dear Friends and Supporters,
It's hard to believe it's already October with only two weeks to go until Election Day on November 2nd! The Sager for Senate Campaign is working hard each day, making huge strides in getting the word out to as many voters as possible about the reform platform of the Sager candidacy and the significant differences between David and his opponent, the ethically challenged John Bonacic.
It is becoming more and more obvious to people why they should vote for David Sager over an entrenched incumbent like John Bonacic but, we need your help to extend our reach. Your continued support and donations will help us to effectively execute our media plan through radio, print advertisements and mailings right up through election day.
David has traveled across the 42nd Senate District and has had the opportunity to meet thousands of wonderful and concerned residents. By now, many of you have had the chance to get to know David, and you have seen and heard what a great Senator he will be for us. The energy, passion, and issues he has defined as urgent prove that there is no substitute for hard work and integrity.
But, let's not kid ourselves. Forging a victory over an incumbent with a war chest the size of John Bonacic's won't be easy. We still have a lot of work in front of us reaching more voters.
In order to be successful on our road to the New York State Senate, we continue to need your help - It's as simple as logging onto and clicking the blue ACT BLUE button to donate on-line or please consider sending a donation to support David Sager for Senate. You can do this by mailing a check to: David Sager for State Senate, PO Box 295, Jeffersonville, New York 12748.
If you feel, as many New Yorkers do, that there is a difference between government as it is and government as it should be, then meet David Sager Democratic candidate for New York's 42nd Senatorial district.
ABOUT DAVID SAGER
David Sager has spent the greater part of his life in the 42nd State Senate District. He grew up in the Village of Monticello in Sullivan County, the son of a small business owner and an elementary school teacher. After graduating from Monticello High School in 1989, he went on to receive a degree as a Doctor of Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, New York, after which he returned to his roots in Sullivan County. It is in this rural agricultural region of Western Sullivan County that David lives with his wife Michelle and their two young sons, Owen and Dylan.
In 1999, David Sager became the youngest county-wide elected coroner in Sullivan County history and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2003 to a second term. In 2007, he ran for the Sullivan County Legislature, where he has served for the past two and a half years. Now, in 2010, he is running as a Democratic candidate for the 42nd District Senatorial seat in Albany.
DAVID'S PLATFORM
ETHICS REFORM - David Sager believes in the law, good government and its ability to work for everyone. David will fight for tougher laws that govern both individual behavior and conflict of interest thresholds by politicians and stricter laws to govern campaign finance. Sager's platform is based on proposal forwarded by the Brennan Center at New York University.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - David Sager is an advocate for forward-thinking, and environmentally sound, regional growth. He believes in “smart growth” and development which both provides economic growth and appropriate and meaningful stewardship over our water and and land. He believes the 42nd Senate district can become an east coast Silicon Valley for alternative energy.
AGRICULTURE - As State Senator, he will work to make sure that farmers get the respect and compensation they deserve for the products they provide and vital role they play in our communities.
PROPERTY TAX REFORM - David Sager wants to fight to make significant changes in the way education is paid for through property taxes. He also wants to have an open discussion about the qualifications for tax-exempt status.
EDUCATION - David Sager believes that as global economic competition increases, education is paramount in providing our future generations with the proper tools for success. He believes we need to rethink some of our basic notions about what we teach and how we teach it. For instance, he asks, “Why are our schools not teaching Mandarin.?”
FLOOD MITIGATION/NYC WATERSHED - David Sager will work aggressively with the NYDEC to provide effective, lasting and environmentally sensitive flood relief to local residents while working with city and state officials, to bring everybody to the table in order to meet the challenges of providing safe water for everyone.
GAS DRILLING - David is willing to ask the most difficult questions not only about the environment and drinking water, but also about home rule and the right for towns to have a say in their destiny (including site plan review by local planning boards, infrastructure and road maintenance, and quality of life).
EQUALITY - David Sager believe in the rights of citizens to enjoy personal privacy and exercise their constitutional rights free from discrimination of any type, whether it be based upon age, color, creed, national origin, gender or sexual orientation is basic to every human being's right to secure happiness for themselves and those most dear to them. David supports marriage equality.
Vote for David Sager because Albany cannot change by itself!
Monday, October 18, 2010
MUST-SEE VIDEO!
Click Here to Watch the Video!
James Northrup tells New Yorkers exactly what to expect with hydrofracking, based on his career in the gas industry.
James Northrup tells New Yorkers exactly what to expect with hydrofracking, based on his career in the gas industry.
Fight Hydrofracking in the Voting Machine
The midterm elections are coming up very soon. This is one of our biggest opportunities to tell the New York Government: NO FRACKING WAY!! So make sure you know whether your candidates are funded by Big Gas/Big Oil, or are truly interested in representing YOUR health and safety!
I'll tell you right off: Jon Bonacic has flip-flopped on hydrofracking; he conveniently changed his position earlier this year but I can GUARANTEE you that he will flip back to the other side once these elections are over!!
On the other hand, David Sager is a die-hard "NO fracking unless you prove it's safe" candidate. He absolutely has our best interests at heart.
(If you're unfamiliar with the term HYDROFRACKING, please view my YouTube Channel which explains it, or watch GASLAND, an award winning documentary on this horrific practice which is all about GREED and annihilation)
Here's a critical issue. The Army Corps of Engineers has authority of the Delaware River Basin Commission, which is very quickly approaching a deadline where it will decide whether or not to continue a hydrofracking moratorium in the Delaware River area, which includes northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. The Army Corps of Engineer has said, "Go ahead and Frack." President Obama actually authorized this insanity! If you are one of 15 million people who rely on drinking water from the Delaware River (PA, NJ, NY), you need to take action NOW by following the steps below; your voice is critical!!
ACTION: Swamp the DRBC with postcards
Pick up 3 postcards from your post office and, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, mail them with brief handwritten messages (suggestions below) to:
- Carol Collier, Executive Director, DRBC
- Mark Klotz (NYS’ Representative on the DRBC)
- Brigadier General Peter DeLuca (Federal Representative)
C/O Delaware River Basin Commission
25 State Police Drive
P.O. Box 7360
West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360
Hand-write short, simple messages on the postcards such as the following:
“Please do not allow gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin to threaten the drinking water for 15 million people and turn this protected waterway and its basin into an industrial zone.”
“NYC and Philly have passed resolutions for an extended moratorium to study first before drilling. That's 10 million people making this request! Can you hear us now?”
“Dear DRBC: don't make the Delaware watershed an experiment. Study first before drilling.”
“Protect our drinking water. Let science guide policy. Secure the results of the EPA hydraulic drilling study and the US Geological Survey study first before devising appropriate regulations for drilling.”
“What's the hurry? No shale gas drilling job is worth the harm to one infant's brain development or one person's organ damage caused by fracking contamination. Do you want their health (deaths!) on your head?”
ACTION: Write the President
Below is a sample letter on this issue to President Obama for you to add your name, address, and date, or to personalize and revise. The President must hear from us on this issue and understand that gas extraction is not the path we should pursue when wind and solar energy are the future. (See recent New York Times front page article on the off-shore (East coast) wind energy transmission system investment by Google’s founder:
Renewable Energy Now!
Sample Letter:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Obama:
I was deeply disappointed to read the article under the headline, “Obama Admin Rejects Timeout for Natural Gas Drilling in N.Y., Pa.” (New York Times September 22, 2010). Moreover, I was horrified to learn that Brig. Gen. Peter "Duke" DeLuca, commander of the North Atlantic Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, declined a request from Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) to use the federal government's vote on the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to seek a temporary ban on gas drilling in the Delaware Watershed until the Commission can complete the first cumulative impact study of drilling’s effects in the Basin.
This watershed provides drinking water to more than 15 million people who live in Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey — 5% of the country's population.
I ask for your commitment to (1) instruct Commissioner DeLuca to cast the federal government’s vote on the DRBC in favor of a gas drilling moratorium in the Delaware River Watershed until the EPA’s current study on hydraulic fracturing’s effects on drinking water, and a USGS cumulative impact study have demonstrated its safety; (2) work with Congress to sign The Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (FRAC Act) into law to plug the “Halliburton Loophole” and restore EPA regulatory authority over hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Water Drinking Act; and (3) work with Congress to repeal all subsidies for oil and gas drilling and all forms of fossil fuels.
Many communities in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania, among others, are already suffering from poisoned water supplies and severe air pollution caused by hydraulic fracturing. There have been numerous reports of serious health issues suffered by people in areas where hydraulic fracturing has taken place, and I am greatly troubled by the prospects for long term pollution and public health impacts from this hazardous practice. The majority of the toxic and carcinogenic fracking fluids remain in the ground to migrate potentially into faults, pristine aquifers, and our country’s water supplies.
This is unacceptable. The gas industry continues to tout natural gas a clean “bridge” fuel, even as evidence mounts that the flawed hydraulic fracturing process for extracting natural gas may actually be worse for the environment than coal. We must not sacrifice the health and well-being of future generations and our environment for an ill-advised, short-term energy fix. Instead, we should augment policies on which you campaigned that encourage energy conservation and provide incentives for the development of truly renewable and sustainable green energy.
Hydraulic fracturing and taxpayer subsidies to big oil and gas companies are important issues that have galvanized voters. I implore your Administration to prioritize the vital health and environmental interests of the American people over multi-national corporate drilling interests.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
IF you can take the time to perform these 2 actions, you might just be making an extraordinary difference in the outcome of the Hydrofracking Fight!
Thank you for reading!
I'll tell you right off: Jon Bonacic has flip-flopped on hydrofracking; he conveniently changed his position earlier this year but I can GUARANTEE you that he will flip back to the other side once these elections are over!!
On the other hand, David Sager is a die-hard "NO fracking unless you prove it's safe" candidate. He absolutely has our best interests at heart.
(If you're unfamiliar with the term HYDROFRACKING, please view my YouTube Channel which explains it, or watch GASLAND, an award winning documentary on this horrific practice which is all about GREED and annihilation)
Here's a critical issue. The Army Corps of Engineers has authority of the Delaware River Basin Commission, which is very quickly approaching a deadline where it will decide whether or not to continue a hydrofracking moratorium in the Delaware River area, which includes northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. The Army Corps of Engineer has said, "Go ahead and Frack." President Obama actually authorized this insanity! If you are one of 15 million people who rely on drinking water from the Delaware River (PA, NJ, NY), you need to take action NOW by following the steps below; your voice is critical!!
ACTION: Swamp the DRBC with postcards
Pick up 3 postcards from your post office and, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, mail them with brief handwritten messages (suggestions below) to:
- Carol Collier, Executive Director, DRBC
- Mark Klotz (NYS’ Representative on the DRBC)
- Brigadier General Peter DeLuca (Federal Representative)
C/O Delaware River Basin Commission
25 State Police Drive
P.O. Box 7360
West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360
Hand-write short, simple messages on the postcards such as the following:
“Please do not allow gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin to threaten the drinking water for 15 million people and turn this protected waterway and its basin into an industrial zone.”
“NYC and Philly have passed resolutions for an extended moratorium to study first before drilling. That's 10 million people making this request! Can you hear us now?”
“Dear DRBC: don't make the Delaware watershed an experiment. Study first before drilling.”
“Protect our drinking water. Let science guide policy. Secure the results of the EPA hydraulic drilling study and the US Geological Survey study first before devising appropriate regulations for drilling.”
“What's the hurry? No shale gas drilling job is worth the harm to one infant's brain development or one person's organ damage caused by fracking contamination. Do you want their health (deaths!) on your head?”
ACTION: Write the President
Below is a sample letter on this issue to President Obama for you to add your name, address, and date, or to personalize and revise. The President must hear from us on this issue and understand that gas extraction is not the path we should pursue when wind and solar energy are the future. (See recent New York Times front page article on the off-shore (East coast) wind energy transmission system investment by Google’s founder:
Renewable Energy Now!
Sample Letter:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Obama:
I was deeply disappointed to read the article under the headline, “Obama Admin Rejects Timeout for Natural Gas Drilling in N.Y., Pa.” (New York Times September 22, 2010). Moreover, I was horrified to learn that Brig. Gen. Peter "Duke" DeLuca, commander of the North Atlantic Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, declined a request from Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) to use the federal government's vote on the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to seek a temporary ban on gas drilling in the Delaware Watershed until the Commission can complete the first cumulative impact study of drilling’s effects in the Basin.
This watershed provides drinking water to more than 15 million people who live in Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey — 5% of the country's population.
I ask for your commitment to (1) instruct Commissioner DeLuca to cast the federal government’s vote on the DRBC in favor of a gas drilling moratorium in the Delaware River Watershed until the EPA’s current study on hydraulic fracturing’s effects on drinking water, and a USGS cumulative impact study have demonstrated its safety; (2) work with Congress to sign The Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (FRAC Act) into law to plug the “Halliburton Loophole” and restore EPA regulatory authority over hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Water Drinking Act; and (3) work with Congress to repeal all subsidies for oil and gas drilling and all forms of fossil fuels.
Many communities in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania, among others, are already suffering from poisoned water supplies and severe air pollution caused by hydraulic fracturing. There have been numerous reports of serious health issues suffered by people in areas where hydraulic fracturing has taken place, and I am greatly troubled by the prospects for long term pollution and public health impacts from this hazardous practice. The majority of the toxic and carcinogenic fracking fluids remain in the ground to migrate potentially into faults, pristine aquifers, and our country’s water supplies.
This is unacceptable. The gas industry continues to tout natural gas a clean “bridge” fuel, even as evidence mounts that the flawed hydraulic fracturing process for extracting natural gas may actually be worse for the environment than coal. We must not sacrifice the health and well-being of future generations and our environment for an ill-advised, short-term energy fix. Instead, we should augment policies on which you campaigned that encourage energy conservation and provide incentives for the development of truly renewable and sustainable green energy.
Hydraulic fracturing and taxpayer subsidies to big oil and gas companies are important issues that have galvanized voters. I implore your Administration to prioritize the vital health and environmental interests of the American people over multi-national corporate drilling interests.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
IF you can take the time to perform these 2 actions, you might just be making an extraordinary difference in the outcome of the Hydrofracking Fight!
Thank you for reading!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Momentum!
I was away for a while, playing a jazz festival in the land of Sardinia, which is smack in the middle of the Mediterranean. Truly a land of sun, wind, currents etc.... and yet there is very little sustainable energy production! The locals tell me that it costs too much money to install the infrastructure, and people are poor, and Sardinia is the "forgotten land" of Italy. And yet, there's a huge NATO base on the island where they drop who-knows-what-kinds of bombs all the time - wouldn't it make sense for NATO to pay for a renewable energy system in Sardinia in exchange for the loss in quality of life?
The other night, the last night before the first school night, there was an outdoor screening of Josh Fox's GASLAND Movie. I had the opportunity to meet Josh, and gave him one of my Demand It tee shirts. The movie is opening national on the 15th, and he's very excited!
Before the movie began, Maurice Hinchey spoke, and is doing amazing things on the federal level in regards to the Frack Act.
The turnout was excellent! And there was kettle corn and cotton candy for the kids, plus an excellent playground.... Although my attention was scattered by my son's exuberance (he was screaming "No Hydrofracking! No Hydrofracking" while ensconced at the top of the "Eiffel Tower" climby thingy), there were several speakers, not all of whom I was able to identify. I know that Janet Burgan sang a bunch of songs including a new one, "No Hydrofracking Way". And, there was a performance ensemble which represented the Industry and their Frackers. I'm sure that Mark Ruffalo spoke, and perhaps Wes Gillingham from Catskill Mountainkeeper.
This was the 2nd time I saw the movie, and I found myself calling my son so he could see the scenes where they light the tap water on fire....
Biggest call to action right now: Call your state and federal reps to demand that drilling be stopped. Call the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) too. There's a September 15th deadline to extend an existing Moratorium on Drilling in the Delaware. CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES AND DEMAND A MORATORIUM ON HYDROFRACKING!!!
NY - PA - NJ - WV
The New York EPA hearings are rescheduled at the Broome County Forum Theater in Binghampton, on Sept. 13th and 15th, 2010. It's looking to be a huge day of activism - I'm scheduled to speak on the 13th and will be there with trumpet and video camera!!! Come out if you can!
One thing I keep hearing from people on the street, and through my YouTube channel, is desperation. People are feeling inadequate, or overwhelmed when presented with this issue. That's how I felt at first, too.... but then I saw people taking a huge, active part in halting the machine, I jumped right in - there is no "alone" in this fight; just give what you can, and make some fabulous friends in the process!
I'm living in NYC part time so I'm getting involved on both ends of the spectrum now. The first thing I realized is that hydrofracking is not the only potential problem with NYC's water supply! There are definitely OTHER issues.....
Gotta run!
The other night, the last night before the first school night, there was an outdoor screening of Josh Fox's GASLAND Movie. I had the opportunity to meet Josh, and gave him one of my Demand It tee shirts. The movie is opening national on the 15th, and he's very excited!
Before the movie began, Maurice Hinchey spoke, and is doing amazing things on the federal level in regards to the Frack Act.
The turnout was excellent! And there was kettle corn and cotton candy for the kids, plus an excellent playground.... Although my attention was scattered by my son's exuberance (he was screaming "No Hydrofracking! No Hydrofracking" while ensconced at the top of the "Eiffel Tower" climby thingy), there were several speakers, not all of whom I was able to identify. I know that Janet Burgan sang a bunch of songs including a new one, "No Hydrofracking Way". And, there was a performance ensemble which represented the Industry and their Frackers. I'm sure that Mark Ruffalo spoke, and perhaps Wes Gillingham from Catskill Mountainkeeper.
This was the 2nd time I saw the movie, and I found myself calling my son so he could see the scenes where they light the tap water on fire....
Biggest call to action right now: Call your state and federal reps to demand that drilling be stopped. Call the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) too. There's a September 15th deadline to extend an existing Moratorium on Drilling in the Delaware. CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES AND DEMAND A MORATORIUM ON HYDROFRACKING!!!
NY - PA - NJ - WV
The New York EPA hearings are rescheduled at the Broome County Forum Theater in Binghampton, on Sept. 13th and 15th, 2010. It's looking to be a huge day of activism - I'm scheduled to speak on the 13th and will be there with trumpet and video camera!!! Come out if you can!
One thing I keep hearing from people on the street, and through my YouTube channel, is desperation. People are feeling inadequate, or overwhelmed when presented with this issue. That's how I felt at first, too.... but then I saw people taking a huge, active part in halting the machine, I jumped right in - there is no "alone" in this fight; just give what you can, and make some fabulous friends in the process!
I'm living in NYC part time so I'm getting involved on both ends of the spectrum now. The first thing I realized is that hydrofracking is not the only potential problem with NYC's water supply! There are definitely OTHER issues.....
Gotta run!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Current Events Digest
Wow, there's a lot of stuff happening!! I'm going to attempt to promote the most important events and calls to action here, as posted by SACRED:
Firstly, since the NY State senate overwhelmingly passed the Fracking Moratorium 2 weeks ago, Governor Paterson has publicly expressed that he will not support drilling until there is “overwhelming evidence that nothing will happen” to harm clean water supplies. This is a dramatic departure from his policy previously, and I know that many people are relieved and ecstatic for this change of heart. Also, there is a possibility that the State Assembly will reconvene for a special session to vote on the Moratorium, so PLEASE call your assembly people and voice your support for the Hydrofracking Moratorium!!!
Next: I was driving home from Middletown the other day and saw my first anti-fracking billboard on Route 17 - THIS IS FANTASTIC! I hear there's another one further up on 17 as well. BIG Thank you to all the organizations that pulled this together - SACRED, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, GASLAND producer Trish Adlesic, and Earthjustice.
Also, lawn signs are now available and it would be so powerful to start seeing them cropping up all over Sullivan county. You can get them through Catskill Mountainkeeper, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, and at the Bethel Farmers Market on Fridays.
If you're in NYC, there will be a Town Hall meeting concerning the EPA study on Hydrofracking, on August 24th from 5-8 pm at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street. Please RSVP to (212) 788-6871 or events@council.nyc.gov by Friday, August 20th.
Other events happening soon (from SACRED):
The positive momentum to stop hydofracking is exciting, but is based on energy. Any little part you can do to make a difference is important! Please take a minute to call your assembly person!
Some very good links:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/the-fight-against-fracking
http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/10-08-12/editorial.shtml
http://pafaces.wordpress.com/
Firstly, since the NY State senate overwhelmingly passed the Fracking Moratorium 2 weeks ago, Governor Paterson has publicly expressed that he will not support drilling until there is “overwhelming evidence that nothing will happen” to harm clean water supplies. This is a dramatic departure from his policy previously, and I know that many people are relieved and ecstatic for this change of heart. Also, there is a possibility that the State Assembly will reconvene for a special session to vote on the Moratorium, so PLEASE call your assembly people and voice your support for the Hydrofracking Moratorium!!!
Next: I was driving home from Middletown the other day and saw my first anti-fracking billboard on Route 17 - THIS IS FANTASTIC! I hear there's another one further up on 17 as well. BIG Thank you to all the organizations that pulled this together - SACRED, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, GASLAND producer Trish Adlesic, and Earthjustice.
Also, lawn signs are now available and it would be so powerful to start seeing them cropping up all over Sullivan county. You can get them through Catskill Mountainkeeper, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, and at the Bethel Farmers Market on Fridays.
If you're in NYC, there will be a Town Hall meeting concerning the EPA study on Hydrofracking, on August 24th from 5-8 pm at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street. Please RSVP to (212) 788-6871 or events@council.nyc.gov by Friday, August 20th.
Other events happening soon (from SACRED):
Sullivan County Gas Drilling Forum at Monticello High School (third and final in the series), “Economic and Community Impacts” this Thursday, August 19th, at 5:45PM
GAS STOCK, August 21st at Luzerne County (PA) Fairgrounds, see http://gasstockconcert.com/
Sunday, September 5th, Picnic and Gasland screening at the Callicoon Youth Center, 8 Creamery Road, Callicoon, NY. Picnic and music at 6pm. The movie begins at 8. Admission is free. Director Josh Fox and actor Mark Ruffalo will speak.
The positive momentum to stop hydofracking is exciting, but is based on energy. Any little part you can do to make a difference is important! Please take a minute to call your assembly person!
Some very good links:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/the-fight-against-fracking
http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/10-08-12/editorial.shtml
http://pafaces.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
David Sager's Prepared Speech of August 5, 2010
I have been given the right to reprint this speech, which was given on August 5, 2010 in Monticello. David has been at the vanguard of the hydrofracking awareness movement since 2008, when it first came to light.
Please visit David Sager's Website
Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come here today.
As you are likely aware, the New York State Senate finally passed the S.8129B Thompson Bill at 12:17 AM early yesterday morning, which will, if also passed by the Assembly and signed by the Governonor, impose creating a moratorium until May 15, 2011 on the controversial technique of high volume hydraulic fracturing -- often referred to as "Fracking" -- in the natural gas rich Marcellus Shale formation that runs through much of our region. First I would like to commend the State Senate for taking the first step toward our collective responsible energy future. Equally important, I would like to personally thank the organizations represented here today who have, through their credible and tenacious advocacy, raised public awareness about this issue -- an issue that we must all face head on, making tough, information based decisions as we go, that will effect generations to come. To those standing with me today I say, without your lobbying and considerable efforts we wouldn't even be here today. It has been my privilege to work with you.
Many of you know that I have been one of the most outspoken elected officials in the region on this subject since it first came to light in 2008. I have attended numerous conferences and forums on the subject and have been highly critical of DEC Mineral Resources Director, Brad Field, at several of those forums. While the passing of this moratorium is an important first step in dealing with the massive industrialization of our landscape, watersheds and water table, as it stands now, the Thompson Bill is an important, but modest and largely a symbolic gesture that may have delayed the actual issuance of permits by only a few months. It actually does little to provide anything other than a temporary halt of drilling not likely to start until May 15, 2011 anyway. I stand before you today to say loudly and clearly that this is simply not close to being enough.
Hydraulic fracturing utilizing vast amounts of water and numerous toxic chemicals would not even be possible in the United States were it not for the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which allowed for specific exemptions to the Clean Water and Air Act.
Though the industry likes to say that fracking has been around and safe for decades, the reality is that horizontal hydraulic fracturing has only been in use for a few years and there are no objective, comprehensive, and credible studies to say that it is safe. However, there have been thousands of fracking related incidents reported from numerous states where fracking is taking place. (Colorado and Pennsylvania to name two) There is a significant amount of anecdotal data from several states that suggests there are tremendous threats to both surface and subsurface water, and considerable public health risks.
The DEC Division of Mineral Resources has consistently proven that it lacks the initiative to objectively make honest scientific inquiry on this issue and it is simply shocking that the most recent GEIS does not address the substantial cumulative impacts posed by a dangerous, under-regulated activity that can never and will never, ever, be confused with anything having to do with agriculture. As I said before, and make no mistake about this, fracking is industrial mining and the examples of the way this activity decimates the landscape, infrastructure and water is staggering.
The NY State DEC does not have the resources necessary to properly regulate and oversee this industry in New York State. A true sign of alarm is that the employee union representing some 2,000 DEC employees (many of whom have earth science and biology backgrounds) have stated publicly that they have serious reservations about the prospect of fracking as currently permitted, proposed and evaluated by the current New York State Generic Environmental Impact Study. They have called for more careful study and caution. In addition, I find it alarming, like many others, that funding and staffing levels have been reduced substantially over the past several budget cycles.
The fact is, that after personally watching the State Senate vote, it is clear that there are many factors that are still unknown and which have not been researched by our elected officials and the regulatory agency charged with overseeing gas drilling. It appears, based on numerous statements appearing in the press, that many of our elected leaders have more faith in the DEC Division of Mineral Resources than many of us here today and in the public, who have been living with this issue for several years now.
The moratorium bill, if signed into law, provides no assurances to the residents of New York State. It does not call for any comprehensive studies or independent scientific research. It does not require the disclosure of fracking fluid chemicals, provide clarity on municipal authority or provide any number of other possible protections. What it will do, however, is provide four and a half months, come the commencement of the next Legislative session, for the Legislature to do then what it failed to do now. As an elected official I have done my very best in Sullivan County to protect the greater good and demand honest, fact driven scientific answers to difficult questions. When elected to the State Senate in the 42nd district I pledge to be completely and intensely engaged in this issue. I call on the New York State Legislature to institute several laws and policies immediately as the current moratorium begins so that the residents of my region and throughout New York State have the protections they deserve.
As a citizen, as a County Legislator, and as a Candidate for State Senate I, along with all people clamoring for honest, independent research and transparency, demand that this ban on high volume hydraulic fracturing be in place indefinitely until the following actions are taken:
- The Frac Act is passed by Congress which restores all aspects of the Clean Water and Air Act and makes big gas companies expressly disclose all chemicals used and in what quantities.
- The current EPA Study underway is completed and analyzed.
- An objective, scientific and industry independent cumulative impact study be performed and analyzed which specifically addresses all environmental, public health, social, municipal planning concerns and economic concerns.
- Appropriate treatment plants for fracking fluids are in place to permit for the environmentally safe disposal of all toxic fluids associated with the process. We must be concerned about where the vast amounts of water are going to come from to engage in this industry, but we must be just as vigilant with the toxic cocktail that is the end by-product and how it is disposed.
- There is adequate manpower and funding in place so that there is strict regulation and oversight of an industry that seeks to bring more than 80,000 well heads to our region.
- There are appropriate windfall taxes in place so that our infrastructure demands do to industrial drilling are funded appropriately by big industry and those profiting. This should not become yet another unfunded state mandate that will cost us all even more in property taxes.
- Local Towns must be given a say in their own destinies. Home Rule must apply here and towns must be allowed to plan and zone as they see fit. Towns should be allowed to require site plan reviews and be allowed to use the many planning tools that State Law affords their planning boards during review of subdivision and commercial projects.
- The concept of compulsory integration must be completely analyzed and re-evaluated. The notion that a person who does not want drilling done on or under his land can have no say in the matter if he happens to live near a group of other land owners who favor drilling is preposterous. Plain and simple -- no property owner should be told his mineral rights will be harvested whether he likes it or not. Since when does our society make public decisions that affect us all based upon acreage and land ownership?
Lastly, I support and value farming. As State Senator I will do everything in my power to ensure that New York's farmers have a sustainable, safe, honorable and profitable way to earn a living that not only benefits them, but all of us as well. No one should have to sell their land off for hydraulic fracking because it is the only way out of hardship.
All of us here today are truly concerned about the potential risks to our most sacred and life-sustaining commodity…water. We want to see economic development in New York State, but we are not willing to sacrifice everything else we know in the name of what are yet to be proven economic gains. We are concerned about the destruction of agriculture, tourism and home values in our region. We are as concerned about the private wells of our friends and neighbors as we are about the reservoirs of the NYC Watershed and the Delaware River Basin which provide water supplies to millions of people in New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia. We are concerned about the potential effects of known neurotoxins, endocrine disruptors and carcinogens on the short and long term public health of our children, families and friends. We are concerned about the quality of life here in our region once the mass industrialization of our bucolic rural setting begins.
To say that we are going to pause until May 15th of next year is a nice breath to take. However, it is more important to enact meaningful legislation that addresses the many concerns relating to this untested and badly poorly regulated technology. If those Senators who passed the moratorium Thompson bill are truly equally concerned with these issues, there is no logical reason for them to not also publicly demand the regulations I have suggested.
Neither I nor anyone else I know wants to be part of a massive industrial experiment, a guinea pig. I am not about to sacrifice the health and well-being of my wife and two sons or your family's either. I ask you to join me in demanding that our elected officials in Albany show the same concern and sense of urgency.
Thank you.Please visit David Sager's Website
EPA Hearings are Postponed
It's very hard to tell exactly WHY the hearings have been postponed, but there are a few facts: one is that the number of people expected had sharply risen from 1,000 to over 5,000; another is that Binghamton University raised their price from $6,000 to $40,000; and another is that anti-fracking protesters were expected to turn out in huge numbers. I have seen reports that there has been intense pressure from the gas and oil industry to prevent the hearings.
In any case, at this point they are estimating that the New York EPA hearing will take place in September.
In any case, at this point they are estimating that the New York EPA hearing will take place in September.
Is the NY Moratorium on Hydrofracking Enough?
The party was short lived. Last Thursday, David Sager (candidate for the 42nd district senate seat in NY) held a press conference at the Monticello Government Center to say, essentially, that this very short moratorium is the absolute LEAST that the senate could have done to protect our water, our environment, our health, and our infrastructure. Hydrofracking is essentially industrial mining, he said, and it needs to be treated as such. This bill doesn't even begin to address the real issues surrounding hydrofracking in NY. Mr. Sager is calling for new legislation to protect Sullivan County, which is the epicenter of the proposed 85,000 wells. He wants legislation that would support a ban until such time as:
- the national Frack Act is passed
- the current EPA study is analyzed
- a true cumulative impact study is performed
- there are appropriate treatment plants for the toxic wastewater
- there is adequate manpower for the regulation of the 80,000+ wells
- windfall taxes are in place to support the infrastructure
- there is support for home rule
- attention is paid to "compulsory integration" (meaning, those of us whose water supplies would be affected even if we don't sign leases)
- attention is paid to farmers who can't currently earn enough money to support their work; signing leases for hydrofracking should not be their only alternative.
Mr. Sager then turned over the microphone to Wendy Robinson of S.A.C.R.E.D, who said that this bill, although it's a step in the right direction, is purely symbolic.
Following Ms. Robinson was Bruce Ferguson of Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, who is leading the way in lobbying efforts in Albany. So far, only 36 property owners in Sullivan County, out of 70,000 residents, have signed leases.
The last speaker of the day was Wes Gillingham of Catskillmountainkeeper.org, who applauded the state senate for passing the moratorium bill. He urged that hydrofracking should be the most important issue in elections this year.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
EPA Hearings in NY: August 12th
For any people who care to take the stand in front of the EPA regarding their experiences with hydrofracking, the big day is August 12th. The EPA wants to hear information that relates to key study elements:
* data & information on impacts
* chemical fate & transport issues
* case studies (site-specific nominations are welcome)
* monitoring needs pre, during, post drilling
* issues of well integrity
They are also interested in resources from organizations, and should be encouraged to use citizen-based science/data gathered on the ground.
For registration information, please go to
http://hfmeeting.cadmusweb.com/RegistrationForm.aspx.
For more information on the meetings, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/uic/wells_hydrofrac.html
Each person will get 2 minutes to speak, and if you can make it you really should, since the "other" side will do their best to fill the auditorium with loud, pro-drilling voices.
* data & information on impacts
* chemical fate & transport issues
* case studies (site-specific nominations are welcome)
* monitoring needs pre, during, post drilling
* issues of well integrity
They are also interested in resources from organizations, and should be encouraged to use citizen-based science/data gathered on the ground.
For registration information, please go to
http://hfmeeting.cadmusweb.com/RegistrationForm.aspx.
For more information on the meetings, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/uic/wells_hydrofrac.html
Each person will get 2 minutes to speak, and if you can make it you really should, since the "other" side will do their best to fill the auditorium with loud, pro-drilling voices.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Extremes
Good news first, I guess. Today, July 28 2010, the United Nations voted to make Fresh Water a basic human right. I think this is a grand statement, and although (the last I heard) the US was set to OPPOSE this measure, I think it recognizes the importance of fresh water to the sustenance of all life on earth, and the fragility of this particularly important resource.
Such recognition is surely due, since here in New York our state government seems completely unaware of how precious water really is and too incompetent to protect it.
It should be stated that Hydrofracking is something that's been going on for many years. Why haven't we heard of it before it got to New York? Because those who sign leases are under a gag order; legally bound to keep silent, no matter what. I'm not sure how Josh Fox got those people to demonstrate flames leaping from water in his movie Gasland, but I sure do hope that those citizens will not suffer too horribly for their bravery in standing up to the Hydrofracking corporations and all of their layers of minions. (read: Helliburton)
Hydrofracking has become an issue in NY State because we have all the resources of New York City. We have Pete Seeger. And, New York has people with money who can afford to say "Hell No!" and do everything possible to prevent this disaster from happening.
That's why, suddenly, people are beginning to pay attention. It's a kind of snowball effect.
Which is a good thing, because New York is not the end of the line, by any means. There is gas under Europe - and as soon as they're finished fracking us, they'll frack Paris, and Stuttgart, and Barcelona too. Then North Africa, then.....
All because we continue to demand fossil fuels for our energy, our transportation, and our barbeques.
Recently I took a trip to the Gulf to see how the Great Oil Spill was affecting people's lives down there (enough people are already talking about the marine life). I found a real sad story. The oil was hitting as we drove by - the Florida Panhandle, the Alabama cost, the Mississippi Delta, Lake Ponchartrain. It was the 4th of July weekend, and the very last hurrah of people enjoying watersports and the beaches. But, there just weren't that many people. A few waitresses I spoke to along the way said that tourism was down by half compared to last year. In New Orleans, the Essence Music Festival was happening over the weekend so there was some vibrant tourism going on - but on Monday, it was empty. Unbelievably, achingly, empty.
We had the great fortune to meet a couple in the French Quarter on the 4th of July, when my son befriended their dog. It turns out, the woman grew up just 10 miles from where I live, so they very graciously invited us in for drinks, and we talked for hours. Her husband is Cajun, he talked to us about how that lifestyle on the bayous is going to be destroyed by the oil spill. She told me that the people of New Orleans have a cast iron will - they'll get through anything - but this oil spill is so much worse than Katrina; it's a real test of that iron will. After Katrina, they could pick up a shovel and rebuild. But with the Oil Spill, they are at the mercy of multinational corporations who they just don't trust to get the job done right.
And that's exactly how I feel about hydrofracking in New York, or anywhere - these companies are getting away with murder. Literally. And we "little people" are so blindsided by their lies and manipulations that we don't know what's hit us until it's way, way WAY too late.
I'm making a movie now, about fresh water, which I hope to have finished in a month. Actually, it's a kind of public service message... but in any case, there needs to be a call to action that reaches the 4 corners of the Earth. We have to put pressure on our governments to say NO to these "too big to fail" companies who are destroying our habitat all in the name of profit.
I've heard a bit too much talk lately about moving to Mars, but I'm just not interested..... I love my rivers and streams, my lakes and ponds, my oceans and seas.... I love my fish and birds, salamanders and toads, deer and critters. I love Earth. I want to make Earth work; not throw it away like a used condom.
Ah well, at least the first biosphere on Mars won't be ready in my lifetime. But it sure would be nice to grow old without worrying about where the water is going to come from to brush my teeth and water my garden.
Such recognition is surely due, since here in New York our state government seems completely unaware of how precious water really is and too incompetent to protect it.
It should be stated that Hydrofracking is something that's been going on for many years. Why haven't we heard of it before it got to New York? Because those who sign leases are under a gag order; legally bound to keep silent, no matter what. I'm not sure how Josh Fox got those people to demonstrate flames leaping from water in his movie Gasland, but I sure do hope that those citizens will not suffer too horribly for their bravery in standing up to the Hydrofracking corporations and all of their layers of minions. (read: Helliburton)
Hydrofracking has become an issue in NY State because we have all the resources of New York City. We have Pete Seeger. And, New York has people with money who can afford to say "Hell No!" and do everything possible to prevent this disaster from happening.
That's why, suddenly, people are beginning to pay attention. It's a kind of snowball effect.
Which is a good thing, because New York is not the end of the line, by any means. There is gas under Europe - and as soon as they're finished fracking us, they'll frack Paris, and Stuttgart, and Barcelona too. Then North Africa, then.....
All because we continue to demand fossil fuels for our energy, our transportation, and our barbeques.
Recently I took a trip to the Gulf to see how the Great Oil Spill was affecting people's lives down there (enough people are already talking about the marine life). I found a real sad story. The oil was hitting as we drove by - the Florida Panhandle, the Alabama cost, the Mississippi Delta, Lake Ponchartrain. It was the 4th of July weekend, and the very last hurrah of people enjoying watersports and the beaches. But, there just weren't that many people. A few waitresses I spoke to along the way said that tourism was down by half compared to last year. In New Orleans, the Essence Music Festival was happening over the weekend so there was some vibrant tourism going on - but on Monday, it was empty. Unbelievably, achingly, empty.
We had the great fortune to meet a couple in the French Quarter on the 4th of July, when my son befriended their dog. It turns out, the woman grew up just 10 miles from where I live, so they very graciously invited us in for drinks, and we talked for hours. Her husband is Cajun, he talked to us about how that lifestyle on the bayous is going to be destroyed by the oil spill. She told me that the people of New Orleans have a cast iron will - they'll get through anything - but this oil spill is so much worse than Katrina; it's a real test of that iron will. After Katrina, they could pick up a shovel and rebuild. But with the Oil Spill, they are at the mercy of multinational corporations who they just don't trust to get the job done right.
And that's exactly how I feel about hydrofracking in New York, or anywhere - these companies are getting away with murder. Literally. And we "little people" are so blindsided by their lies and manipulations that we don't know what's hit us until it's way, way WAY too late.
I'm making a movie now, about fresh water, which I hope to have finished in a month. Actually, it's a kind of public service message... but in any case, there needs to be a call to action that reaches the 4 corners of the Earth. We have to put pressure on our governments to say NO to these "too big to fail" companies who are destroying our habitat all in the name of profit.
I've heard a bit too much talk lately about moving to Mars, but I'm just not interested..... I love my rivers and streams, my lakes and ponds, my oceans and seas.... I love my fish and birds, salamanders and toads, deer and critters. I love Earth. I want to make Earth work; not throw it away like a used condom.
Ah well, at least the first biosphere on Mars won't be ready in my lifetime. But it sure would be nice to grow old without worrying about where the water is going to come from to brush my teeth and water my garden.
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