Actually, this decision concerns me. Now that NYC residents and politicians are assured of their safe drinking water supply, there is no motivation for them to stay in the fight. NYC is a big consumer of natural gas for heating. It seems unlikely that NYC residents and politicians will be equally vocal about protecting our lands and waters once they have safe water and cheap gas. I wonder if anyone has sent op-eds to NYC papers calling for their support in our watersheds to prove this is not simply another case of NIMBYism. Of course it is; but why not make some political noise about it?
And again, let's keep the conversation going about making investments that reduce our need for natural gas for heating and conventional agriculture. Those investments must be made eventually anyway. Why not have current generations make the investment? It's insane what we are leaving to future people to figure out. I've been wondering if anyone is making projections about supply and price due to global increase in leasing underway for shale gas drilling. Perhaps if enough of these projects get underway, the price of natural gas will fall to the point where communities that make it expensive to drill will be left alone. Of course, that just has us cycling back along NIMBY road. That's why it seems to me that we need to escalate the conversation about shared investments in RE and organic farming methods to reduce the demand side of the equation. Otherwise, people will accept the argument that natural gas is a good transition fuel and thereby continue to put off investments at a scale that make a difference. I think it just buys more time for business as usual. We need to be closing down the valves on coal and natural gas to force RE investment, not opening them up further. The natural gas market is global, but it would help if the people in our state worked together to reduce our demand for this fuel. Gay On Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 10:09 PM, Tony Del Plato <[email protected]>wrote: > One of the biggest drilling companies in the country withdrew from drilling > in the NYC/Catskill area. > Tony Del Plato > > > > > http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20091028/NEWS01/910280468/1126/news/Chesapeake+won+t+drill+in+New+York+City+watershed > > -- > "This is a subtle truth: whatever you love, you are". > Rumi > > > > -- > No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of > policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets. > - Edward Abbey > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > Questions about the list? ask > [email protected] > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > -- ---------------------------------------------------- Gay Nicholson, Ph.D. President Sustainable Tompkins 109 S. Albany St. Ithaca, NY 14850 www.sustainabletompkins.org 607-533-7312 (home office) 607-220-8991 (cell) 607-216-1552 (ST office) 607-216-1553 (ST fax) [email protected] _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
