Help Re-Tree WNY and Sabres Score a Green Goal

When the surprise October snow storm of 2006 devastated much of the area’s towering foliage, it took with it some of the glory of springs to come. An all-volunteer organization, Re-Tree WNY, stepped forward with a bold plan to plant 30,000 new trees and help restore the area’s landscape. 

Re-Tree WNY has planted a total of 23,880 of their 30,000 tree goal. The organization needs more help from the community to reach its goal of planting 30,000 trees by the end of this year.

Re-Tree WNY recently launched a new fundraising campaign, called “Green Goal,” in cooperation with the Buffalo Sabres Foundation, The Buffalo News and Entercom Radio. 

Donors who make a $40 gift to Re-Tree WNY by Feb. 26 will have a tree planted in their name. The Sabres Foundation will match the $40, bringing the total gift to $80—enough to pay for the cost of a 10-to 12-foot tree, as well as stakes and ties. The News will print the names of donors, or the name of a loved one in memoriam, in a future edition.

Tax-deductible donations can be made:
- Online at greengoalwny.org
- Mail a check to Re-Tree WNY Green Goal, P.O. Box 347, Tonawanda NY 14151-0347

To see a flyer about the Green Goal campaign, click here.

A Buffalo News editorial about the campaign is here.

Gas Industry Gave Campaigns Big Bucks to Back Hydrofracking in NY State

A day before the Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) deadline for public comments on hydrofracking (also called hydraulic fracturing or fracking), a report was released by Common Cause indicating that the natural gas industry gave $1.34 million in campaign contributions to New York state politicians and their parties.

“Hydraulic fracturing has raised environmental questions, and now financial ones, about the influence of the natural gas industry over state lawmakers and public policy,” said Common Cause NY Executive Director Susan Lerner, as reported in the NY Daily News. “New Yorkers need to be assured that such a controversial issue will be decided based on merit, not money,” Lerner added.
 
From January 2007 to October 2011, the Natural Gas industry made 2,349 campaign contributions to state and local level New York politicians and parties, according to the Common Cause report entitled "Expenditures of the Natural Gas Industry in New York to Influence Public Policy - Part III." A breakdown of the $1.34 million in campaign contributions by type is shown in the figure below.

Figure is from the Common Cause report cited in the text [click image to enlarge]

Almost 75% of the natural gas industry money went to the State Legislature (State Senate candidates, state party soft money, and State Assembly candidates).
 
The Cuomo-Duffy 2010 campaign was by far the largest gubernatorial recipient of gas industry money, receiving a total of $153,816.

Two local senatorial campaigns were among the top 10 legislative recipients of gas money: Sen. George Maziarz (R) 62nd District (Buffalo-Rochester area) ranked first at $38,532, and Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer (R) 61st District (Buffalo area) ranked 7th with $21,175. Maziarz is the Chair of the Senate Energy Committee, and Ranzenhofer is a member of that committee as well as the Chair of Corporations and Authorities.

Maziarz voted against the 2010 fracking moratorium bill, while Razenhoffer voted in favor of the bill.

Included in the gas industry are companies that regulate electricity, such as National Grid and Con Edison, which are also involved in natural gas infrastructure. The full list of companies is shown in the Common Cause report.

The Common Cause report raises an important question that New Yorkers should ask their State representatives and officials: What impact does over a million dollars from the gas industry to political candidates and committees in NY State have on the representatives and officials when setting public policy on hydrofracking?  

Senator Maziarz, speaking at a conference on hydrofracking hosted by the Independent Oil & Gas Association (IOGA) last year, said “It’s been proven it can be done in a safe way.” He also said that the Buffalo-Niagara region could see an economic “boom” through the creation of an industry to purify toxic fracking fluid (wastewater) at local water treatment plants in Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda.

Concerned citizens have subsequently expressed strong opposition to creating such an industry at public meetings of the Niagara Falls Water Board, which is considering purifying fracking fluid as a means to increase revenues. However, the DEC has no proven plan in the current environmental impact statement (SGEIS) for purifying fracking fluid.

The Common Cause report also expressed concern that regulatory decisions may not be based on facts and science and made with proper deliberation since the study of the impacts of hydrofracking on NY state were done by an outside consulting firm, Ecology and Environment, Inc., which has oil and gas companies among its clients. 

Gov. Cuomo indicated to reporters yesterday that there will be no funds for gas-drilling regulation in the budget proposal until the state DEC determines whether to allow high-volume hydraulic fracturing. 

A number of NY Senators and Assembly Members are again proposing and sponsoring legislation to ban, or further extend the moratorium on, the controversial fracking method across the State.

For earlier posts about Fracking at Re-ENERGIZE BUFFALO, click here.

Public Comment on NY Water Withdrawal Regulations

From the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter: 
Tell NY DEC We Need More Time For Public Comment on Water Withdrawal Regulations! 

Comments on the proposed Water Withdrawal regulations are due Monday, January 22, 2012, and are intended to go into effect as early as February 15, 2012. However, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has held NO public hearings on them and does not intend to do so.

Both state law and the draft regulations mandate the issuance by the DEC of water withdrawal permits for withdrawals of 100,000 gallons per day or more, but DEC has not yet developed such permits -- they will not be available for consideration and/or comment by the public before they are issued.

The Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter is asking the public to tell DEC that we will not stand for a blatant lack of care and transparency when it comes to protecting our water!

Click here to Email DEC director Joseph Martens.

Speaking About Climate Change...

"Climate change, in my humble opinion, is the most important issue that we face," said Chris Hayes, the intelligent and informed moderator of "Up with Chris Hayes" on MSNBC.

Panelists on last Saturday's broadcast were David Roberts, who writes on energy and climate at Grist.org, and also Michael Mann, climatologist and author of "The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars".
 
Interesting discussion! Check out the Video here.
Note: Advance the video slider to 10:22 minutes where the climate discussion begins.

Chris Hayes cites the EPA website on Greenhouse Gas Emissions: ghgdata.epa.gov There you can find locations and data on emission sources, such as those in Tonawanda, NY below:

Hydrofracking: DEC Must Protect Our Drinking Water -- Take Action!

High-volume hydraulic fracturing, also called hydrofracking or fracking, is a method to mine natural gas from shale rock seams deep underground. The process requires horizontal drilling from a vertical well, uses millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and some toxic chemicals, and produces large volumes of flowback wastewater containing additional toxic chemicals and radioactive elements extracted from shale. Fracking wastewater is hazardous.

A moratorium has been in effect for the past three years while NY state considers permitting high-volume hydraulic fracturing. The NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has produced a revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) that is currently under public review. The public is strongly encouraged to send comments on the SGEIS to the DEC, which must be received or postmarked by January 11, 2012 (see links and postal address below).

The SGEIS contains a surprising proposal along with a number of major gaps that the DEC needs to address.

The DEC SGEIS proposes that watersheds for New York City and Syracuse "should be off-limits to surface drilling for natural gas using high-volume hydraulic fracturing technology." This proposal amounts to an admission by the DEC that fracking and hazardous wastewater are threats to drinking water in these two watersheds. Given these threats, should fracking and hazardous wastewater be permitted in other State watersheds?

NY State Watersheds - DEC

We All Live in a Watershed is the title of a DEC webpage. A watershed is the land that water flows on the surface or underground on its way to a river, lake, stream or bay. The DEC defined 17 watershed basins in NY state (map, at right). The watershed basin for Buffalo and vicinity (blue area on left side of map) drains into Lake Erie and the Niagara River, both of which provide drinking water for the region.

All NY State residents have a right to clean water and deserve equal rights to protection from water pollution. What's good for NY City and Syracuse watersheds should apply equally to all watersheds in the State. Demand that the DEC protect all State watersheds from the threats of fracking and hazardous wastewater, not just NY City and Syracuse watersheds, in order to provide safe drinking water.

Fracking wastewater contains brine, radioactivity, carcinogens and other hazardous chemicals. In Pennsylvania, millions of gallons were sent to sewage treatment plants until it was found that the discharged water was contaminated. Some fracking wastewater from Pennsylvania was shipped to the City of Buffalo for treatment, but this is no longer permitted. Pennsylvania is now shipping fracking wastewater to Ohio for disposal in deep injection wells, a method that may be short-lived since it has been recently linked to earthquakes. NY geology is not suitable for injection well disposal. What is the DEC's plan for fracking wastewater disposal?

The DEC SGEIS does not describe a proven method to cleanup fracking wastewater. Disposal of the hazardous wastewater poses threats to NY drinking water, including watersheds in the state where gas drilling will not occur. The public needs to inform the DEC that they can not permit fracking in the absence of proven, cost-effective methods to remove all hazardous chemicals and radioactive elements from the wastewater. 

Additional gaps in the SGEIS have been pointed out by the Governor's Advisory Panel on High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing. These include the absence of estimates on what resources will be needed by four major state agencies: Health, Transportation, Agriculture & Markets, and Public Service. The socio-economic analysis by a local firm, Ecology & Environment, highlighted the economic benefits but did little to quantify potential costs, according to some members of the Advisory Panel. The DEC directed the firm to also look at the cost on communities, the housing market and emergency services. 

Even more gaps in the SGEIS have moved over 21,000 people to sign a letter requesting that Governor Cuomo immediately withdraw the SGEIS in order to resolve documented fundamental shortcomings. You can examine the letter and additional gaps here. The public can sign the letter online.

At the very least, the DEC should Extend the Moratorium. High-volume hydraulic fracturing is a very complex process. It is a threat to clean water and to our health and well-being. There are too many unknowns that require further research, evaluation and time. The gas will still be there as a reserve.

The revised draft SGEIS document and related documents are here.

TAKE ACTION: Send comments to the DEC on the revised draft SGEIS by January 11:

• Electronic submission using a web-based comment form on the DEC's website. 
• Paper submission can be sent to:  New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-6510. Attention: rd SGEIS Comments. Please include the name, address, and affiliation (if any) of the commenter.

For earlier blog posts on various aspects of fracking, click here.

2012 -- Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

from

Re-ENERGIZE BUFFALO

 

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas - From My Family to Yours

[Click to enlarge]

Christmas Song for Peace on Earth

"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a Christmas song by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band (1971). The children singing in the background are from the Harlem Community Choir.

Peace on Earth, Good Will to Humanity!

Take Action against Hydraulic Fracturing

The use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to extract shale gas poses risks to drinking water, human health and safety as well as the well-being of people in affected communities. Contaminated water wells near drilling pads in Pennsylvania contain levels of shale gas that are flammable and can be explosive. Radioactivity, heavy metals and toxic chemicals in the shale contaminate wastewater that flows back to the surface after fracking. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently found industrial fracking chemicals and carcinogenic benzene as contaminants in well water aquifers near drilling pads.
 
Fracking wastewater had been treated and discharged into Pennsylvania rivers until contaminants were identified downstream. Some wastewater was also dumped illegally in Pennsylvania streams and forests. Wastewater had been treated in Buffalo, but that is now prohibited to protect drinking water. The gas industry is seeking to treat fracking wastewater in Niagara Falls, risking pollution of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario and contamination of drinking water in the U.S. and Canada (for earlier blog posts on fracking, click here).

This 1 minute video conveys more concerns about fracking:


TAKE ACTION:

Many citizens and politicians want to ban fracking and fracking waste. Urge Governor Cuomo and Senator Grisanti to prohibit fracking and fracking waste in New York. 

First, write a letter to Governor Cuomo on your own or with the help of an online Letterwriter. The Letterwriter contains written text about a number of the following key issues associated with fracking and fracking waste:

• air pollution resulting from fracking operations  
• potential contamination of public water supplies  
• disposal of radioactive wastewater  
• possible spills of toxic chemicals  
• my child with asthma  
• heavy truck traffic on back country roads   
• effects on tourism   
• effects on agriculture

Simply select any one or more key issues, and the text will be inserted into your letter and can be modified. Add your own personal comments as well. The online Letterwriter is at A Million Fracking Letters writer.
 
Your letter to Governor Cuomo will be printed and delivered to his office on your behalf, and a copy will be emailed to you.

Second, and Easy! Another way that you can contact Governor Cuomo is to Phone his office at 518-474-8390. Simply urge the Governor to prohibit fracking and fracking waste in New York State.

Third, Easy and Important: Send a brief email message to Senator Mark Grisanti, head of the Senate Committee on Environmental Conservation. Simply ask him to support bill S4220 to ban fracking and all fracking waste. You can email Senator Grisanti here and phone his office at 877-796-1949.

Thank you for taking action against fracking!