Amen to Autumn's post.
On a similar note, at last night at the Split Estate showing in
Ithaca, Gay Nicholson reminded us that, if we are going to be NIMBYs
(not in my backyard), we'd better find ways to use much less natural
gas (which MANY people around here use for heat and cooking). And as
Autumn says, if we don't want to live in a sacrifice zone, do we want
anyone else to?
So we, locally, us, the community coalitions Autumn is referring to,
need a two pronged approach:
1) CONSERVE: be much more efficient about our use of natural gas (or
coal-fired electricity). And, even if you pay for "green" power, your
electricity still comes from a grid full of coal (and some natural
gas). So we all need to conserve enough to start shutting down coal
plants and save natural gas for co-generation district heating, etc.
2) SUPPORT LOCAL SAFE ENERGY: which gets us back to farmers: non-food
bio-mass (woodlots, Danby Land Bank, etc) and appropriate scale (and
carefully located) wind farms are two examples of farm-friendly ways
to get our own power.
Fossil fuel-based, industrial scale agriculture is a lot of what is
making it so hard for family farms to break even, let alone earn a
living farming. (Michael Pollan spoke to the connections between
farming and fossil fuels at Bioneers).
We should help farmers understand that UNconventional gas drilling is
NOT compatible with farming. But we should also be cutting back our
own use of gas (as well as coal-fired electricity).
Let's work WITH farmers so they can be part of a clean renewable
energy future, rather than part of the "let's heat the globe as fast
as possible, as cheaply as possible" future which the oil and gas
industry created (most profits to them, all risks to us). Because the
only way this fuel is cheap is if it isn't extracted safely or
ecologically.
Margaret
On Nov 19, 2009, at 8:32 AM, Autumn Stoscheck wrote:
Hooray for all the articulate folks who showed up and got speaking
spots at the Corning hearing last night. Especially the elected
officials who sounded like true public servents, not paid off
polititions. Thank you for thoughtful, sophisticated arguments.
Kudos to Roy Lackner and Mark Dounou who represented framers/
landowners with grave drilling concerns. Also to Lisa Wright, who
made a phenomenal plea to stop attacking each other, and work
together to address the serious problems we face.
In that vein, as I listened to the very polarized debate, I took
note of the main themes of the "pro-drilling" speakers. If our
'movement' is to be legitimate, if it is going to go beyond being
'obstructionist', if it is going to not allow itself to be
marginalized as 'fringe out of touch environmentalists' we need to
take a hard look at what these people are saying. Not to develop
talking points, (yes, I have an argument or how gas exploitation is
not the answer to any one of these) but to realize how more
fundimental problems are laying the groundwork for exploitation by
big gas. And to incorporate constructive, proactive elements into
our message.
-Coal and oil are dirty. Gas is cleaner than other hydrocarbons.
-Not in My Back Yard. It is deeply hypocritical to expend energy
fighting gas development in our region while mindlessly using coal
electricity and gasolene from energy sacrfice zones like West
Virgina and Iraq.
-Self Suficiency. It is not good to rely on other countries for the
energy that powers our society.
-Rural New York is economically suffering, ESPECIALLY dairy farmers.
How can you deny somebody, who has worked their butts off their
whole life to put food on your table and is now loosing the farm no
matter how hard they work, a sign up bonus which could save the farm.
In particular, I was thinking about farmers because I am one, and
because they have become the mascot for the Pass Gas movement. From
the economic forces that determine the price of milk, to a failed
government farm subsidy program, to corporate farming, food inc.,
the global food distribution system, and lousey consumer food
choices, the story of New York dairy farmers is heart wrenching,
tragic and a symbol of what is deeply wrong with our food production
system.
What about working to expand the shaleshock alliance to Dairy
Farmers? It's a lot nicer to have somebody advocating for your cause
than using you as a justification. Any way, it's just a thought, but
it might be worth reaching out to farm advocates, learning more
about the issues that are most affescting farmers today, and
incorporating the advocation of solutions to those problems into our
'message' and our work.
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