[GPSCC-chat] Fw: RELEASE: NY Greens denounce Dept. of Enviro. Conservati...

[Caroline Yacoub]

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: shane que hee <squehee at ucla.edu>
Sent: Fri, September 9, 2011 6:54:25 AM
Subject: RELEASE: NY Greens denounce Dept. of Enviro. Conservati...


In a message dated 9/8/2011 12:34:47 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, 
scottmclarty at yahoo.com writes:
>
>GREEN PARTY OF NEW YORK STATE
> 
>http://www.gpny.org/
>
>
>Media release
>
>September 8, 2011
>
>
>Contact:
>
>Howie Hawkins, chair at gpny.org, 315-425-1019
>
>Peter LaVenia, chair2 at gpny.org, 518-495-8001
>
>
>
>Green Party of New York Denounces DEC Report, Calls for Ban on Hydrofracking
>
>
>
>The Green Party of New York State is outraged in the latest Department of 
>Environmental Conservation (DEC) release on hydrofracking and calls for a total 
>ban on the practice.
>
>
>The DEC's report makes it clear that the state's primary focus is clearing the 
>way for the petro-chemical industry to reap enormous profits, cloaked in the 
>language of the potential economic benefit to workers.
>
>
>While the DEC claims its "number one priority is to protect the state's drinking 
>water and environment in concert with exploring options to safely and 
>efficiently extract the state's natural gas," there is no way to safely protect 
>drinking water and frack for natural gas. This report greases the skids for 
>hydrofracking to start as soon as possible in New York. This is a terrible blow 
>against the environment and the communities in the Marcellus Shale region, which 
>will be negatively impacted by the damage done to their water supply, land, and 
>the natural beauty of that area. It does nothing to lead us to a post-fossil 
>fuel future and towards renewables in this era where we are on the tipping point 
>of catastrophic climate change; fracking and natural gas are a bridge to 
>nowhere, not economic prosperity.
>
>
>"It doesn't matter how long the SGEIS is, it isn't regulation: it's a study," 
>said Mike Bernhard, GPNYS upstate Fracking Coordinator, referring to the 
>Supplementary Generic Environmental Impact Study, to which a socio-economic 
>impact study was appended today. "The original 1992 GEIS on gas and oil mining 
>was never codified as law or regulation, but the DEC issued permits nonetheless. 
>It is state policy to begin issuing permits as soon as the comment period on the 
>current study ends, without first codifying regulations."
>
>
>"If the state intended the Department of Environmental Conservation to conserve 
>the environment, it wouldn't have preempted municipalities from controlling 
>drilling," notes Cecile Lawrence, GP candidate for Tioga County legislature. "It 
>wouldn't have gifted Gascorp with the Compulsory Integration law that allows 
>drillers to horizontally drill unleased land. And it wouldn't have kept quiet 
>when tens of thousands of leases – with no environmental or landowner 
>protectiions – were being signed. The SGEIS won't change those facts."
>
>
>"And it doesn't matter how complete or otherwise the study is," said Howie 
>Hawkins, party co-chair. "Its content, and the public reaction to it, is largely 
>invisible and irrelevant: It is simply a political football that Andrew Cuomo 
>has to carry across the finish line, so that his corporate clients can begin to 
>drill the Marcellus shale." 
>
>
>
>"The Green Party of New York State is opposed to the fracking process, and calls 
>for and supports a total ban. Greens from around the state have been actively 
>involved from the beginning in resisting and fighting the gas and oil industry, 
>promoting the Avella/Colton ban legislation and educating the public about this 
>very ungreen process," said Hawkins. "Further fossil-fuel development – with its 
>demands for new and dangerous infrastructure – will starve conservation-led 
>approachees to a renewable energy future of the capital and intelligence they 
>need now," concluded Hawkins.
>
>
>• Videoclips of Presentations at Green Party's 2011 Annual National Meeting in 
>Alfred, NY, archived on the Green Party's Livestream Channel, including 
>discussion of hydrofracking: http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus
>
>• GreenStream Live showw on hydrofracking, April 13, 2011: 
>http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus/video?clipId=pla_0e3da0c2-3fe4-41ad-9a8b-30cb5b0a1bf3
> 
>
>
>
>~ END ~
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