http://construction.com/video/?fr_story=73e5573fc91a6fc8fdf0021c0ba8ecf715297be0&rf=bm
We travel to the Arizona desert to speak with the Italian-American urbanist and designer Paolo Soleri, who began construction on his experimental town Arcosanti in 1970.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eghLq3cPGAA
Green Guerrillas Youth Media Tech Collective has entered Free Range Studio’s Youtopia contest to get help making an online movie about the environmental impact(s) of natural gas exploration and exploitation.
Free Range Studios created The Meatrix and The Story of Stuff. We are hoping that by teaming up with them, we can get as many people as possible informed and involved in an issue that affects 31 states! Click here to find out how many gas wells are in YOUR backyard. For more information on natural gas exploration and exploitation… check out Green Guerrillas’ Blog on changents.com.
Here’s the link to a story in the NY Times about the gas that came out yesterday. A photo of Mark and Lisa begin the story.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/science/earth/28drill.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
Here also is a link to a half hour radio show featuring Mark and Lisa that went over the air in October on Out of Bounds(now posted on the web). The show was broadcast on NPR stations that covered the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier Regions of New York. It ends with the gas, but is more about the state of organic farming and how to make a life around it, including readings of Lisa’s poetry.
Please join me in signing Walter Hang’s letter (see below) calling on Gov. Paterson to withdraw the dSGEIS on the Marcellus Shale gas drilling in NYS. It is one thing we can all do to help protect our community. Please also make plans to come to the “Life is Water” concert on Sat., Dec. 5. It’s a benefit for Shaleshock (Much more information and more actions to take at http://www.shaleshock.org/get-involved/):
Urgent Marcellus Shale Citizen Alert – Take Action Today
Greetings,
I write to urge you to take immediate action to prevent Marcellus Shale gas drilling hazards in New York.
As you may know, the Marcellus Shale formation is arguably the largest natural gas reservoir in the nation. It contains an estimated 500 trillion cubic feet of gas and stretches from the Catskills, through Central New York, Western New York to Ohio. It also extends from north of Syracuse to Tennessee.
Natural gas drilling in New York has already caused fires, explosions, massive pollution releases and contamination of drinking water supply sources. Yet, high-volume, “slickwater” hydrofracking horizontal drilling could soon make our state’s existing environmental problems far worse.
Governor Paterson imposed a de facto moratorium on large-scale Marcellus gas production by requiring the Department of Environmental Conservation to withhold horizontal drilling permits until it updated a 1992 Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS). The goal of that update was “to ensure that all environmental impacts from drilling are addressed.”
A Draft Supplemental GEIS (SGEIS) is now available for public comment. It is woefully inadequate because it assumes that existing environmental protection regulations adequately safeguard the environment and public health.
Given the documented shortcomings of existing gas drilling regulations, more than 3,000 elected officials, concerned citizens and organizations have signed a coalition letter requesting Governor Paterson to withdraw the Draft SGEIS. This could continue the de facto drilling moratorium until all gas drilling hazards have been rigorously addressed.
You are invited to review and sign the letter at http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/coalition_letter The deadline for commenting on the dSGEIS is 12/31/09.
I have provided some useful information links below. You can also learn more at www.toxicstargeting.com.
Thank you for your consideration.
Best regards,
Walter Hang
607 273 3388 (o)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 10, 2008
GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES ISSUANCE OF DRAFT REGULATION TO CONTROL TRUCK TRAFFIC THROUGHOUT THE STATE
Initiative to Begin with Traffic-Calming in the Finger Lakes Region
Governor David A. Paterson and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Astrid C. Glynn today announced a draft statewide regulation aimed at reducing large truck traffic on many state roads across New York.
The Governor and Commissioner Glynn also unveiled plans for traffic-calming initiatives to slow speeds and improve safety on specific routes in the Finger Lakes. Last month, in response to the dangers posed by trucks hauling non-local solid waste across local rural roads in the Finger Lakes and Central New York, Governor Paterson asked the NYSDOT to institute a new policy intended to keep large trucks, with the exception of local pick-up and delivery vehicles, on the Interstate Highway System.
“There are some communities in our State where the local roads have become unsafe shortcuts for big rig drivers who leave the interstate highway system, affecting the quality of life in local communities,” said Governor Paterson. “This has endangered safety and hurt the quality of life of these communities – generating unacceptable noise pollution, posing a threat to pedestrians and bicyclists, and carrying cargo that could endanger important watersheds. This draft regulation is a major step forward in our effort to find a resolution to this issue even as we ensure the speedy movement of freight across the State.”
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer said: “The draft regulations today are another win in the string of good news that communities across Upstate have gotten from the Governor’s office when it comes to getting these noxious trucks off their local roads, and back on the interstates where they belong, The details released today show that Governor Paterson and the state are serious about working with Upstate businesses, residents and local officials, as well as the trucking industry and other parties, to kick these sorely-needed regulations out the door and deliver peace of mind, safe roads and clean air to communities across Central New York and the Finger Lakes.”
New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Astrid C. Glynn said: “This draft regulation breaks new ground by recognizing that highways serve multiple purposes and must accommodate the historical, natural and unique characteristics of our communities, not just traffic. Governor Paterson and the State Department of Transportation heard the concerns of Central New York communities and will work with these communities, businesses, the trucking industry and others across the State to finalize the regulation and implement programs that will control truck traffic, preserve safety and support economic development, environmental protection and local quality of life.”
The proposed draft regulation would establish a hierarchy for how trucks should travel the entire State, requiring that large trucks use interstate highways when possible, designated State highways if interstate access is not reasonably available and other State highways only when reasonably necessary.
The proposed regulation must go through the formal rule-making process, which requires a thorough analysis of the proposal’s potential costs and benefits and environmental and economic impacts, approval by the Governors Office of Regulatory Reform, a 45-day public comment period and an evaluation of comments received. The rule-making process could take six months or more.
Senator John A. DeFrancisco said: “I applaud Governor Paterson and the Department of Transportation for taking the concerns of my constituents in Skaneateles seriously and joining me to help address this issue. I look forward to studying the draft regulations. Keeping large trucks from traveling on our local roads will help to ensure that our communities remain safe and it will help to improve the quality of life in our towns and villages.”
Senator David J. Valesky said: “Governor Paterson’s regulation is a victory for the small towns in the Finger Lakes Region and those across the state. For years, citizens have looked for ways to make rural roads safer, and today the Governor and the NYS DOT have answered that call. By restricting large truck access, we will make our villages safer, and reduce congestion and pollution in rural areas. A special thanks is also owed to the Upstate New York Safety Coalition Task Force, a citizens group that has been working on the issue for years.”
Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton said: “I’m pleased to see progress through the issuance of this preliminary proposal from the state DOT on the critical matter of truck traffic on our two-lane state roads. This proposal mirrors the efforts made in New Jersey to move more trucks to the four-lane highways in a hierarchical approach. That is what the research done by my office indicated we could accomplish through state law and regulation, without running afoul of federal law and having our efforts blocked in court. I will continue to work on this issue from every possible angle to bring relief to my constituents and our municipalities, and I will continue to urge our federal officials to enact federal law that allows states greater leeway in regulating truck traffic.”
Assemblyman Will Barclay said: “I would like to thank the Governor for his leadership in attempting to resolve this serious problem. Truck traffic has been a problem that has plagued the town of Skaneateles and the Finger Lakes region for some time. It is my hope that these proposed regulations will bring closure and relief to the residents of this region.”
In that spirit, the traffic-calming initiative will focus initially on specific highways in the Finger Lakes tourism region, with NYSDOT offering to work with communities to make physical and other changes to state highways to reduce congestion, improve safety and provide better conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic-calming measures include items such as street narrowing, reduced speed limits, medians, designated pedestrian crosswalks, pedestrian refuge islands, roundabouts, landscaping, colored sidewalks, bike lane markings, speed-timed traffic signals and improved signage. NYSDOT staff has identified 15 candidate locations for improvements in the Finger Lakes. Other locations may be considered as well.
NYSDOT plans to hold a public meeting in the Finger Lakes region later this month to discuss the draft regulation and the traffic-calming initiative.
In addition, NYSDOT will take a series of short- and long-term actions to manage large truck traffic, including:
Encouraging freight-rail transportation in order to remove trucks from the highway; and
Working with other State agencies and public authorities to ensure maximum use of the interstate highway system by large trucks;
The proposed regulation and other initiatives are initial steps to implement a policy NYSDOT announced last month to establish a new framework for controlling large truck traffic.
Truck travel is growing rapidly in New York and nationally in response to transportation demands of the global economy and growing public needs for goods and services. Conflicts between the travel patterns of large trucks and regional economic development, environmental and safety issues are evident in the Finger Lakes region and in other communities. NYSDOT’s action plan is designed to address those issues.
To inform its decision-making, NYSDOT staff is obtaining additional information on how trucks travel through the Finger Lakes region by conduction truck counts at key intersections, as well as assembling origin and destination information from trucking companies and sites that generate truck traffic. Staff also has discussed truck-traffic issues with various community leaders, elected officials, business operators and trucking groups.
The regulation establishing a hierarchical road network for truck use would require large trucks — any truck-trailer combination with a trailer 45 feet or longer — to use interstates as primary routes for reaching truck terminals and to use NYSDOT – designated access highways and other State highways only as reasonably necessary.
The draft regulation would allow Commissioner Glynn to render opinions as to the reasonable use of State highways by large trucks, taking into consideration factors such as whether a potential route travels through residential areas, the highway’s physical characteristics, its proximity to schools and environmentally sensitive locations and pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
The traffic-calming initiative will be developed through extensive community outreach with local elected officials, community leaders and the public.
The draft regulation and information about traffic calming is available on the NYSDOT Web site at https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/portal/programs/truckpolicy.
Natural gas drilling company agrees to stop misleading tactics to
unilaterally extend leases on New Yorkers’ properties
~
Fortuna Energy, Inc. will allow hundreds of landowners out of the
improperly extended leases and will pay $192,500 in settlement
ALBANY, N.Y. (November 24, 2009) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo
today announced that his office has reached an agreement with Fortuna
Energy, Inc. (Fortuna) that will allow customers who were misled and
ended up extending their natural gas leases with the company to
renegotiate their terms. The settlement also stops Fortuna from
employing industry-prevalent misleading and deceptive tactics to secure
from New York landowners.
The company also agreed to pay $192,500 to the state in connection with
the settlement.
“Drilling companies will not be permitted to use misleading letters
and dubious legal claims to bully landowners,” said Attorney General
Andrew Cuomo. “Many of these companies use their size and extensive
resources to manipulate individual property owners who often cannot
afford to hire a private attorney. This land-grab practice must stop.
Today’s settlement is a good first step, as Fortuna is the first
company to agree to stop these practices. My office will continue to
investigate the activities of other drilling companies to ensure that
New Yorkers who were wrongly pressured into lease extensions will have a
chance to renegotiate their leases.”
Fortuna is one of the largest natural gas exploration companies in New
York and engages in a natural gas drilling technique called horizontal,
high-volume hydraulic fracturing (“horizontal drilling”). To do so,
these companies obtain leases from landowners which authorize them to
conduct operations on the landowners’ properties, with a lease
typically expiring after five years if no operations are ongoing on the
property.
Beginning in April 2009, Fortuna sent letters to hundreds of landowners
whose natural gas leases with the company were about to expire. These
letters falsely stated that Fortuna had the right to extend these leases
without the permission of the landowners. Specifically, Fortuna falsely
claimed that the leases contained provisions that allowed Fortuna to put
the lease on hold until the company could obtain the required horizontal
drilling permits from the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation. In fact, most landowners’ leases contained no such
provisions.
After setting forth these false claims, Fortuna’s letters then
instructed landowners that if they did not agree to a three-year
extension of the lease with a small percentage increase in royalty
payments, the company would file a notice with the appropriate county
clerk of records declaring that the term of the lease was halted and
obtain a lien against the property. These liens prevented landowners
from freely negotiating drilling rights with other companies.
As a result of the Attorney General’s settlement, Fortuna has agreed
to rescind the letters it sent to landowners. In addition, Fortuna will
remove any liens placed on the land of New York property owner whose
leases have expired and whose leases did not clearly disclose that they
could be extended. Landowners who agreed to a lease extension as a
result of Fortuna’s letter will be given the opportunity to cancel
that extension. Fortuna will contact all affected landowners.
The
Attorney General commended Fortuna for its cooperation in the
investigation and willingness to take corrective action.
Dean Norton, President of New York Farm Bureau, said, “Farmers
actively preserve as working agricultural landscapes over seven million
acres of land in New York, including increasingly valuable mineral
rights in areas such as the Marcellus Shale. New York Farm Bureau
applauds the agreement between the Attorney General and Fortuna as an
excellent example of cooperation that will greatly benefit farmers and
landowners who signed contracts many years ago with little knowledge,
and allow both parties to negotiate with better information.”
Nick Schoonover, Chairman of the Tioga Landowners Coalition, which
represents 1,400 families and more than 102,000 acres in the Southern
Tier, said, “Attorney General Cuomo’s involvement in this issue is a
welcome addition that has produced positive results. He has been a vital
partner to help protect landowners and to keep drilling companies
honest. His office’s understanding of landowners’ rights and
tenacity to protect residents is a great asset and I look forward to
continuing to work with his office to further protect New York’s
property-owning families.”
The case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Michael J. Danaher,
Jr. under the supervision of Assistant Attorney General-in-Charge of the
Binghamton Regional Office Dennis C. McCabe and Deputy Attorney General
for Regional Affairs J. David Sampson.
Urgent Marcellus Shale Citizen Alert from Walter Hang
Posted in Uncategorized by wellwatch on November 15, 2009
Urgent Marcellus Shale Citizen Alert
Greetings,
I urge you to take immediate action to support a coalition letter requesting Governor Paterson to withdraw the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (dSGEIS) for Oil and Gas Mining.
I believe this is the best way to prevent high-volume, horizontal well hydrofracking hazards in New York’s Marcellus Shale region. You can view and become a signatory to the letter at
http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/coalition_letter
You can view videos of oil and gas problems, legal documents, newsclips and a PDF of the 270 DEC oil and gas spill profiles. Most importantly, you can use a free Internet Map Server to check for aquifers, regulated freshwater wetlands, impaired waterbodies, structurally deficient bridges and many other “sensitive receptors” that might be impacted by gas drilling near your home or community.
I urge you to circulate this alert as widely as feasible. Ask your elected officials and community leader to sign it. If you would like me to make a presentation to your group, please let me know.
If you care to comment on the dSGEIS, you have until 12/31/09. I believe, however, that the extremely limited scope of the document renders it all but meaningless. If it is adopted, horizontal permits could be issued soon thereafter.
Thank you for your consideration.
Very truly yours,
Walter Hang
click below to read article.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alison-rose-levy/protecting-new-york-citys_b_354264.html
New Yorkers Speak Out at Gas Drilling Hearing
by Soterios Johnson and Ilya Marritz
As New York gears up for a massive expansion of gas drilling in the
Marcellus Shale, state officials have made a potentially troubling
discovery about the wastewater created by the process: It’s
radioactive. And they have yet to say how they’ll deal with it.
The information comes from New York’s Department of Environmental
Conservation, which analyzed 13 samples of wastewater brought
thousands of feet to the surface from drilling and found that they
contain levels of radium-226, a derivative of uranium, as high as 267
times the limit safe for discharge into the environment and thousands
of times the limit safe for people to drink.
click on link below to view
http://essentialdissent.blogspot.com/search/label/Gas%20Leasing
Powered by WordPress
