For Immediate Release
Sept,30, 2011
Fracking Forum to be held in Dundee, NY
A consortium of groups and businesses are sponsoring a forum on fracking at the
the Dundee Central School Auditorium, Dundee, NY on Oct, 17th. It will start at
7:00PM.
Horizontal, High Volume, High Pressure Hydrofracking: “fracking”, is a highly
controversial form of unconventional, methane gas drilling which is used in
various black shale deposits like the Marcellus and the Utica strata. This industrial
process is currently supported by Governor Cuomo. It could possibly start
sometime next year, with as many as 2500 wells / year drilled after a first year
start-up of an estimated 100 wells. Large areas of Yates Co are currently under
lease including the area from which Dundee draws its drinking water.
While several communities in our region have been informed by various
organizational representatives that this drilling will not come to our area of the
Finger Lakes, the high levels of leasing and attempted leasing indicate otherwise.
A Norse Energy spokesperson recently referred to Central NY as a prime area to
be explored for Utica Shale gas extraction. The Utica formation is deeper than the
Marcellus and some gas analysts think it has great production potential.
The forum will feature professional and community folks who are
knowledgeable about the fracking process and the impacts that communities living
with it in other states are currently experiencing.
The evening will start with local author, Steve Coffman, addressing the question of
balance in the discussion of fracking and gas production.
The forum moderator, Bath Attorney, Mark Schlechter, will also introduce Kevin
Heatley, a PA based Reclamation Ecologist, whose work includes evaluating the
way drilling sites are cleaned up after industry leaves. Kevin lives in the heart of
drilling activity in PA and during a recent phone call described the seismic testing
for gas going on adjacent to his home.
Sandra Steingraber, recent recipient of the $100,000 Heinz grant, which she has
pledged to donate to efforts aimed at stopping fracking, will address the health
impacts of the fracking industry. Steingraber is the award winning author of
“Living Downstream” and “Raising Elijah” and a professor of Biology at Ithaca
College. She sees fracking as one of the most pressing environmental issues of our
time. She recently returned from a 20 state trip where she observed the effects on
communities and the natural world of “…extreme energy extraction”.
The concluding speakers will be Helen and David Slottje, Attorneys of
the Community Environmental Defense Council. They have consulted with Towns
and communities throughout NY advising them on legally preventing heavy
industrial use through Town Comprehensive Zoning plans. They have been widely
praised by both the communities they serve and grassroots groups for their efforts
in protecting local townships.
The forum will conclude with an open mike Question and Answer period.
Sponsors include: Bath Peace & Justice, Coalition to Protect New York, Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, Concerned Citizens of Ulysses, Finger Lakes MoveOn, Gas Free Seneca, Heron Hill Winery, Hunt Country Vineyards, Keuka Citizens Against Hydrofracking, Keuka Lake Watershed Action Committee, La Belle Vie B&B, McGregor Winery, People for a Healthy Environment, Otsego 2000, Shaleshock Action Alliance, and Sustainable Otsego
Press contact: Jack Ossont 607-243-7262
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