Congressman Hinchey and Congressman Arcuri need to be STRONGLY URGED to take a leadership role in helping to protect the safety and welfare of their constituents.
They should follow the lead of Congressman Eric Massa, New York City Council Member James Gennaro and State Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton and sign the letter to withdraw the dSGEIS. Our elected representatives need to speak for the people– the majority of us New York State voters have ABSOLUTELY NO VOICE as to the industrialization of NYS to unconventional gas drilling.
HERE ARE THE TALKING POINTS:
**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.
CONTACT CONGRESSMAN HINCHEY:
Email his environmental staffperson: dan.lamb@mail.house.gov
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
CONTACT 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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