I did contact Martha Robertson to make sure I had her figures about
comparative GHG emissions correct and she graciously responded. I
didn't have it right....the calculation was that one well was equal in
GHG to twoce the County government operations.
Excerpted
<<Here are my remarks. The numbers come from the TC Planning Dept.,
which is preparing its comments on the dSGEIS. They're not finalized or
published yet but I did clear this with them before I spoke. So I think
it's reasonable to share this.
Greenhouse gas emissions is another area that the DEC should look at.
The emissions from the development of one well - including energy used
for transportation and drilling, and methane emissions from the well -
is equal to twice the emissions from Tompkins County government
operations in one year.* And remember, we could have 5,100 wells in
our county.
* Source: Tompkins County Planning Department, in its initial review of
the dSGEIS and its impacts on Tompkins County. Not published yet.
Number of well pads is based on 1 pad per square mile spacing unit,
subtracting out obvious land such as the City of Ithaca and the middle
of Cayuga Lake. >>
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Fri, Nov 20, 2009 11:47 am
Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] Marcellus NIABYism
I couldn't agree more. Opposition to Marcellus drilling is a NIABY
Issue.
This massive, massive operation, as has been pointed out, has a huge
carbon footprint. At the hearing last night Martha Robertson stated
that the greenhouse gas emissions caused, I believe by the drilling of
one well alone exceeded Tompkins County's annual emissions. I intend to
write her and make sure I got that figure right and will report back.
Barbara Lifton pointed out, as we have been hearing more now, that all
carbon emissions must be capped by 2015 and then start going down
rapidly in order to avoid runaway climate change. Natural gas is still
a fossil fuel. AND the "raw" methane that leak into ground and water
from these operations will eventually escape into the atmosphere. The
latest figures are that methane has 25 (not 21) times the GWP (global
warming potential) as carbon dioxide.
In other words, as this will exacerbate global warming, it is a global
issue not a pristine community issue. And, as with the toxins in air
and water that these operations will cause as well as more warming, it
is exactly the most vulnerable who will suffer most as they are already
suffering now. In the U.S. people without access to affordable health
care
will suffer most from respiratory and other diseases. And the poor
everywhere,
including the U.S. are most vulnerable to climate change.
Opposition to hydrofracking, is a social justice issue of the first
order. It is not NIMBYism; it is community and regional resistance to
corporate predation, the long history of the few controlling the many.
It is, as David Korten would say, Earth community vs empire.
What I do think of as NIMBYism is the unreasoning opposition to wind
generation in any form without even being willing to consider that the
issue is one of careful and proper siting. And to those who say it
ruins the view, let them see that land laid waste by drilling and
mining, and the mountains with their tops blown off and rockslides
coming into communities. And far worse is the toxins people in those
areas must drink and breathe. Not to mention that birds, along with
virtually every other living thing, will suffer far more from climate
change.
I have long worked on the climate change issue. I have just recently
come to understand that taking an active part in opposing drilling in
Marcellus is one of the most important things I can do, in addition to
opposing it to stop the destruction of our region. My Congresperson,
Eric Massa, said recently that hydrofracking would make this area
unlivable in 10-15 years. And in contributing to climate change, it
could well play it's part in making the planet unlivable within this
century.
Jeanne
-----Original Message-----
From: Jan Quarles <[email protected]>
To: Sustainable Tompkins County listserv
<[email protected]>
Sent: Fri, Nov 20, 2009 10:48 am
Subject: [SustainableTompkins] Marcellus NIABYism
Margaret makes an excellent point. Our position in protesting
hydrofracking
in the Marcellus Shale is NIABYism (Not In Anybody's Backyard), not
NIMBYism, and it's the most responsible position to take, from both an
environmental point of view, as well as a social justice one.
In case you haven't already signed Walter Hang's coalition letter, here
it
is to sign and forward widely:
http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/coalition_letter .
George Frantz is oversimplifying the anti-fracking position in his
recent
post. He lumps all protesters together under the label of "leisure
class
environmentalism," basing his argument on the false assumption that all
of
us who are against fracking -- and we were over 1,000-strong last night
at
the State Theatre! -- blithely plan to use fossil fuel forever; that we
are
doing absolutely nothing to reduce our CO2 output; that we are a bunch
of
hypocrites who could care less about the environmental devastation
caused by
fracking in other states and nations. Nothing could be farther from the
truth.
It is the very people who are protesting, the very individuals who
spoke so
eloquently and knowledgably last night who are the most responsible
citizens
in our community. Each and every one is a leader in the sustainability
movement, in his or her own unique way. They are the ones who are
documenting and sharing the devastation from other states. They are the
ones
researching, educating and investing in renewable energy options and
energy
conservation measures. They are the ones working hard to improve our
present
and our future. They may not all be able to afford to transition
immediately
to renewable energy (and George criticizes them harshly for it), but
they
are doing their best to go in that direction.
In the Ithaca area, there are hundreds of local organic farmers like us
who
not only refused to sign a drilling lease a few years ago, but at the
same
time took personal responsibility to lower our footprint. We invested
$5,000
in insulating our farmhouse, and $6,000 in an energy-efficient wood
stove
that supplies 100% of our heat; we built 30 raised beds, grow much of
our
food, and share the rest with friends; we invested thousands to drain
our
fields and amend our soil to create an organic CSA for the community;
and
we're now saving for a geothermal system and solar panels. Our "leisure
time" is spent in activism, promoting citizen engagement in government,
liberation from corporate control, and sustainable living. (For more
info,
visit www.backtodemocracy.org .) Our personal details are only relevant
because they represent a huge portion of residents of Tompkins County
who
share our commitment to sustainable agriculture and renewable energy.
For over 25 years, my husband and I have been a good land stewards. As
a
result, our organic fields have provided high-quality barley, spelt,
oats,
wheat, rye and soy to the community. We could have sold out to
developers.
We could have made quick cash by signing a drilling lease. But we chose
not
to because we considered those choices highly irresponsible. We chose
instead to take care of our land. Since our farm is on Cayuga Lake, we
pay
very high property taxes. Is it fair that we don't get any tax break or
cash
bonus for protecting the lake from chemical runoff? Is it fair that
those
who sign drilling leases get wealthier while they risk poisoning the
environment for the rest of us, as well as future generations? Why
should
they be allowed to plunder the Earth -- to risk dredging up
radioactivity
that will sicken every living thing around them -- just to make quick
money
for themselves? Why should we have to pay for the consequences of their
choices? And surely, we will. We'll pay for the cleanup of inevitable
spills. We'll pay with our health, and with our peace of mind. And so
will
our children, and our grandchildren, and all the living things around
us.
Our property will surely devalue as this region becomes riddled with
industrial drilling sites, traffic becomes congested with heavy rigs,
and
water and air pollution skyrockets. There is already a radioactive well
in
Watkins Glen, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.
It would be highly irresponsible NOT to protest hydrofracking. Stand up
to
the mulitnational corporations who want to plunder what belongs to us!
Jan Quarles
Bluebird Farm
Ovid, NY
----- Original Message -----
From: "Margaret McCasland" <[email protected]>
To: "Sustainable Tompkins County listserv"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 11:44 PM
Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] Marcellus shale drilling NIMBYism
One danger with cross posting (which I did when I posted a portion of
this Shaleshock thread on Sustainable Tompkins) is that the context
of
the full thread of the list-serves in general is lacking. And I
think
this may have contributed to george's reactions.
The reason I made the cross-post is because I felt the Shaleshock
thread
underscored the need for the work ST does on energy conservation and
efficiency, which I wanted to reinforce.
The lost context did not show the lack of NIMBYism among
Shaleshockers: I
have heard only increased sympathy for people living in other
extraction
"sacrifice zones," such as mountaintop removal and long wall mining,
not
to mention the folks who have been fracked in other states. There
is no
good acronym for this sort of compassion and cooperation: but it
would
look like NIABY (not in anybody's back yard).
Which gets us back to where we each should be: buttoning up our
houses,
cutting our own use of gas and coal, while calling for appropriate
state
and national public policies which support safe energy production
(safe
enough to have in anyone's back yard!)
Margaret
On Nov 19, 2009, at 9:56 PM, George Frantz wrote:
Thank you, Margaret and Autumn.
I'm not in agreement with all the points you've made. I think
however
that you've raise a critical issue in that much of the debate over
Marcellus shale drilling is sounding more and more like simple
NIMBYism.
I see nothing progressive or enlightened about the vehement
opposition
to any and all frack-based natural gas drilling in this region. As
I've
said before we are confronted with an industry that would dig up
its
mothers' graves if there was a chance of finding natural gas
beneith
them, but I also think that some of the outrageous exaggerations
and
distortions by Shaleshock and its ilk would even impress the great
SpinMeister Karl Rove.
The current controversy is just another of a long string of examples
in
Ithaca of what true progressives and true environmentalists refer
to as
"leisure class environmentalism." It's probably not a term you'll
hear
on NPR or read in the New York Times, but by definition it is the
constant action of more affluent cities and regions to push off the
significant adverse environmental impacts of their middle class
American
lifestyle onto poorer regions and communities of the world.
Some three-quarters of homes in the city and the town of Ithaca are
heated with natural gas, as are all of our centers of employment,
our
stores, bars, restaurants and I suspect even the State Theatre.
Overall
in Tompkins County almost 6 in ten homes are heated with natural
gas or
propane from afar. Indeed the entire economy of Upstate New York
is
dependent of natural gas and propane produced and imported from
thousands of miles away.
I've seen too much of the damage wreaked by energy companies first
hand
in poor communities of Appalachia and Louisiana in their quest to
meet
Ithaca's demands for coal, natural gas and gasoline. I personally
refuse to be a party to an effort by Ithaca-style progressives to
once
again push off on other, poorer, regions of America and the world
the
severe environmental costs of maintaining our little paradise here
in
the Finger Lakes.
And, speaking of dairy farms, there are over 300 Marcellus Shale
wells
either drilled, being drilled, or have been permitted across the
border
in Bradford County, PA. Many of them are on dairy farms. In many
cases
you can not even see the finished wells, because the drilling sites
have
been restored and crops have been planted.
Millions of gallons of fracking fluids are flowing right now.
Probably
some 5-6 billion gallons or so of water have been pulled from the
Susquehanna River or its tributaries by now. Take a drive down and
check out the environmental havoc wreaked by the drilling
companies, if
you can find it.
George Frantz
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For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County
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please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
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Questions about the list? ask
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_______________________________________________
For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County
area,
please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for:
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Questions about the list? ask
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_______________________________________________
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]
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_______________________________________________
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]
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_______________________________________________
For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please
visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
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[email protected]
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