David Sager for NY State Senate

Today in Monticello, in front of a large audience David Sager of Jeffersonville announced his intention to run for State Senate against John Bonacic. In the past year, Mr. Sager switch his affiliation from the Republican Party to the Democratic party, for reasons unrelated to this race.

In his speech, he noted his intentions to be a strong sponsor of legislature to address the following issues: Help end the disfunction of state government; Lower state and local taxes; Break the status quo in Albany; Enforce fiscal responsibility; Proceeding with gas drilling based on scientific evidence only; and Political ethics reform.

He believes that our district is an important link to NYC. To this end, he envisions revitalizing this district as a "green belt", leading the way with green technology.

He expressed strongly that religious organizations with large tracts of land who use local resources should pay for those services by taxation.

He clearly understands the concept of sustainability, and wants to make it easier for people to live more sustainably.

In a short conversation with him after the speech, I found a calm, intelligent, experienced man (he is currently County Legislator) who grew up in Sullivan county and knows exactly what we need to move forward. I wish him all the best!

Excellent Resource for NY Hydrofracking Current Events

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1632391

A series of audios exploring the effects of hydrofracking on our water supplies. Well worth a listen!!

Also, on April 7 and 8, the EPA will be holding an advisory meeting in Washington DC concerning their Hydraulic Fracturing Research Plan.

http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/a84bfee16cc358ad85256ccd006b0b4b/4caa95a38952145f852576d3005daa17!OpenDocument&Date=2010-04-07

Any public organizations are encouraged to make a statement.

EPA is studying the effects of Hydrofracking on Fresh Water

For anyone who's interested in learning what the federal government is doing at this time, here it is:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/18/AR2010031805091.html?wprss=rss_print/asection

Hopefully, the Frack Act will start passing through Congress and stop this madness before it begins.

I heard recently - from Josh Fox, actually in the interview on PBS (he created "Gasland"), that it is not 10,000 wells that are planned, but more like 50,000 or 60,000 in NYState. It's so absurd as to be almost funny....

Gotta cut this one short....

More later!

All the Good News!!

I'm so excited!

There's lots of rumbling on the national level about Hydrofracking. It's not just a NY issue; it's not just a Marcellus issue; it's not just a natural gas issue! There are actual plans to hydrofrack for OIL in the Dakotas and Montana now.

So, now to the good news:

Last week, on St. Patrick's Day, President Obama made a public statement that any company that wants to drill for gas or oil should disclose the ingredients used in the hydrofracking fluid.

Just from today's news in the Washington Post: "A federal judge has approved a first-of-its-kind settlement requiring the government to suspend 38,000 acres of oil and gas leases in Montana so it can gauge how oil field activities contribute to climate change."
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/18/AR2010031803018.html)

That's GREAT!

Plus, the EPA now has $1.5 million to do a national survey of the cumulative impact of hydrofracking!! This is EXCELLENT news!!

In Sullivan County, last week the legislature voted unanimously to ban drilling on public lands. That's a strong show of what we think of hydrofracking in this county!

For those of you in NYC who are interested in attending public forums on drinking water protection, there is an important event coming up:

April 1: John Jay College (Gerald W. Lynch Theater) 899 10th Avenue @ 59th Street, from 7 - 9:30 pm. Several speakers will talk about the effect of Hydrofracking for gas in the NYC watershed.

The tide is turning. Now that the Healthcare bill has passed, the Senate will open up to do other work, and we hope that the Frack Act will come to the forefront soon!

All kinds of ways to be involved

Perhaps there's never been a better time for making a difference in our world. I think I've said that before - but I'm sure it's been in the last year! If you are connected at all, you will hear about people taking action in so many different ways, and I am finding it so inspiring!

Yesterday I attended the first meeting of a group called "Women United for Sustainable Technologies" (www.we-must.com) in Honesdale, PA. Although the people who attended this first meeting are all "activated" by the threats to our environment from hydrofracking, the issue is much more broad than this single issue. Sustainable technologies are the future of our survival, and it is fundamentally true that digging for oil and gas are not included in that list!

It's a great time to take national action on this issue. If you are interested in learning more, or participating in any way, please visit their website to learn what you can do. The next meeting is scheduled for April 17, 2010.

What Do Americans Really Know?

After talking to people at the library and the school and the supermarket and other general meeting places, I am coming to the conclusion that most people have zero idea about what's happening in the environment around them.

I compare this to when I was a kid in the '70s, and I think there was more awareness back then… and the education of the American citizens actually led to a big cleanup of rivers, parks, forests, etc.

But now, something different is going on. Maybe there's too much information, leading to an information overload. Maybe the chemical companies are doing a stellar job at advertising. Maybe people are numbed by what they're seeing on TV and in the movies. Life is hard right now, and I guess some people just don't want to expend energy on anything else aside from just surviving.

Compared to other first world countries around the world, Americans are not informed. The wool is being pulled over our collective eyes, and it's very hard to understand what the end game is. Our bodies are full of horrific toxins, we're addicted to a sedentary lifestyle, and what most people consider to be "news" is actually laser-crafted propaganda. Our country is completely fractured between the right and the left, and we're headed toward a bleak-looking future.

Corporate interests have taken over our government.

What does this mean? It means we have very little food choices compared to just 30 years ago. For those who pay attention and want to eat non-chemical food, the choices are almost nothing. For the rest, it means their bodies are being polluted by horrific chemicals without their knowledge. The head of the USDA, Tom Vilsack, is an advocate of industrial agriculture business, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), and has always supported big business over local farmers who have tried to protect their own crops from cross-pollination with GMOs.

It means that our health care system is completely corrupt, even with this "change" that seems to be happening right now. Whatever bill passes into law will be more for the benefit of the health insurance companies and pharmaceutical firms, than for the citizens, because they are so powerful in government. If there are 40 million citizens who are now without healthcare, how do you think big business will profit if those people are forced to pay monthly premiums??? 40 million X an off-the-cuff figure of $400 per month = $16 billion extra per month!

In New York right now we are dealing with the oil and gas industries, who want to come in, industrialize our landscape, poison our water, in order to make trillions of dollars in profits. There is no attention paid to the fact that our fresh water supply is extremely limited, and that in reality, our water is much more precious than any gas to be extracted. There is no thought to the future of our standard of living. There is about to be huge scale hydrofracking for oil in the Dakotas soon, so this is not just a NY issue. No concern for global warming or renewable energy.

Everything in this century is about corporate profit. Our government is owned by big business, and the president and congress are literally hog-tied because of the huge financial investment that big business has in the government.

In a way, it's pretty simple to see what has happened since Reagan. Regulations were removed, companies did whatever they wanted to do, and now we're dealing with these huge companies that are "too big to fail" which essentially means that they're too big to bust apart, and too big to say "No" to.

And yet, despite these realities, I continue to fight for non-toxic products for my family, for clean fresh water and air. I'm still an idealist who hopes that we can turn it around and gain back control of our future.

What are your thoughts?

Kudos to Catskill Mountainkeeper

When I first moved to the Catskills in 2008, one of the first people I met was Ramsay Adams, founder of the Catskill Mountainkeeper. He and Wes Gillingham took a few minutes out of their day to introduce me to some of the issues facing the area, of which hydrofracking was high on the list.

Their research, education, organization and dissemination of information on the subject of hydrofracking in New York has been absolutely top notch, and because of their work, many other community-sponsored organizations have come to life in the Marcellus Shale area. The fundamental concept of keeping our pure water pure is at the heart of every statement, every lecture, every press release.

Wes Gillingham has been EVERYWHERE there has been a Hydrofracking conversation, and his intelligence, eloquence, passion and humor has given thousands upon thousands of people a real voice. Wes, you're a giant, and not just in height!

I just want to give these guys, and this organization, a huge THANK YOU for your tireless efforts and courage! The work you're doing is consummate, and VERY appreciated by so many people around the state!!!