In a message dated 12/28/2009 4:58:58 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Down to the Wire Marcellus Shale Update Coalition Letter sign-up: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/coalition_letter Contact the Governor: http://toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/contact_gov The coalition letter's signatories can be viewed at: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/coalition_letter Marcellus Shale Section: http://toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ithaca-NY/Toxics-Targeting/95035142437 Twitter: http://twitter.com/toxicstargeting Greetings, I want to thank everyone for the astounding hard work you have put in during the last few weeks. It has brought tremendous pressure to bear on Governor Paterson and the powers-that-be to withdraw the fatally flawed Marcellus Shale draft SGEIS. With only three days to go in the comment period, we are coming down to the wire. I implore you to keep generating signatories, emails and calls as long as feasible. Email Governor David A. Paterson: [email protected]. ny.us Please bcc: [email protected] so we can maintain a record of all contacts. Call or write the governor: State Capitol Albany, NY 12224 518-474-8390 (o) 518-474-1513 (Fax) Make the following points succinctly and emphatically: Governor Paterson must immediately withdraw the draft Supplemental GEIS because it is utterly inadequate to safeguard New York's environment and public health. The Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) own spill reports document that existing regulations have failed to prevent or to require the clean up of hundreds of natural gas and oil drilling problems involving fires, explosions, polluted drinking water wells, home evacuations and massive drilling wastewater releases. DEC must not issue new gas drilling permits until those regulatory concerns have been fully resolved. That is why the Supplemental GEIS review must be restarted. The draft SGEIS totally fails to propose a safe method of managing natural gas drilling wastewater and hydrofracking fluid. It simply leaves that task to localities. Improper management of natural gas drilling wastewater has already caused massive toxic pollution impacts. The SGEIS must solve this disposal problem before new natural gas drilling permits are issued. DEC is woefully understaffed to cope with existing natural gas drilling problems. Only 17 staff are available to regulate nearly 7,000 existing natural gas wells. New gas drilling permits must not be issued until the SGEIS solves this problem. The SGEIS fails to address critical issues associated with strict clean up liability, natural gas spill reporting, private right of legal action, insurance coverage and unfunded local government mandates. All those concerns must be addressed prior to the issuance of new gas drilling permits. Share your personal concerns with Governor Paterson. Please be respectful, but remember Governor Paterson has a duty to protect New York's natural resources and public health. That is why the draft SGEIS must be withdrawn. Last week, we gained crucial support from the City of New York. We are making every effort to take full advantage of that development. We also succeeded in making Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Administrator, Judith Enck, intensely aware of our opposition to the draft SGEIS. We obtained an email regarding EPA's comments on the draft SGEIS, which left much to be desired. Due to our action alert, Ms. Enck received more than 100 emails in amazingly short order. She responded to an email from former Assembly member, Marty Luster, within 30 seconds. She also conferred with some heavy lifters who expressed grave concerns. However,she needs to here from more of us Please immediately contact Judith Enck, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Administrator, to request that EPA urge Governor Paterson to withdraw the draft Supplemental GEIS on Marcellus Shale Horizontal Hydrofracking. Email: [email protected] Phone 212 637 5000 EPA did not release its comments publicly and is weighing our request to Governor Paterson to withdraw the draft SGEIS. I believe our ability to generate so much pressure so quickly is unprecedented. Major signatories are continuing to add their support. A key City mayor in the Marcellus Region will reportedly announce his support tomorrow. We are on our way to 9,000 signatories. Congressional representatives Hinchey and Arcuri still have not signed the coalition letter. Local resolutions have been adopted based on Rich DePaolo's excellent Town of Ithaca's model. Try to persuade your elected municipal officials to take similar action. That effort could become crucial in the weeks ahead. We continue to garner extensive press coverage. More is in the offing. Keep slugging. Your advocacy and organizing efforts could not be more important. Pour it on down the homestretch. Best wishes for the New Year. Walter Hang In a development of stupendous importance, New York City today "called on DEC to rescind the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (dSGEIS) that was released on September 30, 2009 because it does not adequately address the risks of drilling in the New York City watershed, which supplies drinking water for nine million New Yorkers." See http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/press_releases/09-15pr.shtml Bringing the full force of New York City's political leadership to bear on Governor Paterson will dramatically increase the likelihood of withdrawing the dSGEIS and sending it back to the drawing board. I implore each and every one of you to take time during the holidays to find more signatories and email/phone and fax Governor Paterson. Please note that Congressional Representatives Hinchey and Arcuri still have not signed the coalition letter. See NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/science/earth/24drill.html?ref=nyregion Email Hinchey's environmental staffperson: [email protected] Call Congressman Hinchey: Middletown Office Phone: (845) 344-3211 Binghamton Office Phone: (607) 773-2768 Kingston Office Phone: (845) 331-4466 Ithaca Office Phone: (607) 273-1388 Monticello Office Phone: (845) 791-7116 Email Congressman Arcuri: http://forms.house.gov/arcuri/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm Call Congressman Arcuri: Cortland Office Phone: 607-756-2470 Utica Office Phone: 315-793-8146/8147 Auburn Office Phone: 315 252-2777/2778
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