November 5, 2009, 7:00 p.m.at the Unitarian Church, 306 N. Aurora St. at Buffalo St. in Ithaca. Presentations on the dSGEIS will help citizens understand the proposed regulations governing gas drilling and how to make their opinions heard.

Speakers include:

• David Kay, of the Community and Rural Development Institute (CARDI) at Cornell, will describe the environmental review process (SEQRA) that required the DEC to issue the dSGEIS. He will also provide an overview of the 809 page document—what’s in it and where to find it.
• Ed Marx, Tompkins County Commissioner of Planning and Public Works, will focus specifically on the section that describes mitigation measures that are proposed and how local governments may be affected.
• Helen Slottje, a local attorney with an expertise in environmental law and litigation, will address deficiencies in the document and the legal implications for citizens and local governments.

A short Q&A session will follow these presentations. The public is urged to attend this session to learn about the document, its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the November 19 public hearing to submit comments to the DEC.