RALLY IN WEST CAPITOL PARK PLANNED FOR JANUARY 25TH  

WHO: On January 25th, hundreds of concerned New Yorkers will join representatives from environmental and conservation groups including Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Environmental Advocates of New York, Sierra Club – Atlantic Chapter and Catskills Mountainkeeper, among others, at a rally in West Capitol Park on the west side of the New York State Capitol to call attention to what is arguably the most pressing threat to the health of the state’s environment—particularly our drinking water—the rush to drill for natural gas in the Southern Tier and Catskills regions.   

WHAT: The natural gas industry is eager to drill in New York. Drilling companies propose to use a dangerous technique, called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” to extract natural gas buried beneath the rock of the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations. In other parts of the country, fracking has poisoned wells and spilled toxic chemicals across landscapes. 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is currently reviewing comments submitted on its draft natural gas drilling guidelines. The DEC’s draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement has been called inadequate by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New York City Council, New York Department of Environmental Protection, and members of Congress including Representatives Hinchey, Arcuri, Massa and Nadler, among others.

WHEN: Monday, January 25, 2010   

Rally scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.; program at 10:45 a.m.

WHERE: West Capitol Park on the west wide of the New York State Capitol Building 

WHY: This is the first time in 2010 that New Yorkers will come to Albany to call on Governor David Paterson and other state leaders to protect New York’s environment from the dangers of natural gas drilling. 

HOW: New Yorkers can sign up for the rally at http://www.citizenscampaign.org/fracking-action-day/register.asp

 The Ithaca Local of Democratic Socialists of America today called for the defeat of the health care “reform” bill that is emerging from the Senate. 

The bill reportedly contains no public option (immediate or triggered), no Medicare buy-in for those under age 65, no competition for for-profit plans, no meaningful cost containment and no prohibition against insurance companies colluding on premiums and terms of coverage. 

“This is not a reform bill in any sense of the word,” said Marty Luster, Chair of the Ithaca local. “This is a piece of legislation written by and for the insurance industry. It mandates individuals to purchase health insurance from for-profit corporations which retain as much as 40% of premiums paid for administration (including obscene executive salaries), marketing and profit.* We will be better off if the bill fails and we have the opportunity to start over with a real reform plan,” he said.

“Medicare has 3% administrative costs and nothing goes to profits, so Medicare for all would have been the fiscally responsible way to go,” Theresa Alt, Secretary of Ithaca DSA, said. “The Democratic majority really missed the boat when they gave up in advance on Medicare for all and instead pushed the ‘public option’, a compromise from the start. Since then they have compromised again and again until now there is hardly any reform left in the bill,” she added.

The Democratic Socialists of America is the nation’s largest socialist organization. It supports a single payer (Medicare for All) health care plan, although it has urged, at a minimum, that any plan adopted by Congress contain a robust public option.

*Report by Families USA

Even before President Obama presented his plans to the Nation on December 1, Ithacans were in the streets urging opposition to an escalation of the war in Afghanistan.

 On November 19 a citizens' rally to protest hydrofracking was held on the Ithaca Commons. Billed as music and politics to raise awareness of industrial gas drilling in this region, the crowd braved a light rain for two hours as speakers urged opposition to planned natural gas drilling operations by a number of large multi-national corporations. The rally was followed by a public hearing at the State Theater sponsored by the Tompkins County Council of Governments which was attended by more than 1,000 people.Go to www.shaleshock.org for more information.

 Make your voice heard at the public hearing on the dSGEIS, Nov. 19!

October 30th, 2009

The good news is that a major natural gas company has decided not to drill in the New York City watershed in the Catskills. The bad news is that the company is more likely to intensify its efforts elsewhere in the Marcellus Shale region.

As reported in the New York Times on October 27:

“ ‘We are not going to develop those leases, and we are not taking any more leases, and I don’t think anybody else in the industry would dare to acquire leases in the New York City watershed,’ Aubrey K. McClendon, the chief executive officer at Chesapeake Energy, said in an interview on Monday in Fort Worth.”

Unfortunately, McClendon also made it very clear that efforts elsewhere, such as Tompkins, Broome and Tioga Counties, are likely to be intensified. . “Why go through the brain damage of that [NYC watershed drilling], when we have so many other opportunities.” (Emphasis added.)

And just so the point is not missed, the Times concludes, “But Chesapeake and other companies are still expected to drill for gas in areas of the state outside the watershed”

Rev. Rich Rose joins Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton in support of the Lakeside workers. Lakeside worker Lana Wegner-Hardin (L), SEIU rep Baschki Leo (center) and family advocate Linda Holzbaur all participated.

Ithaca, Oct. 27

Lakeside Nursing Home workers supported by members of the community, families of residents, community organizations, public officials, including Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton and Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson, have announced their intention to fight requirements by the new owners of Lakeside, The Peregrine Health Management Company. Healthcare workers at lakeside have been told that they may be out of jobs and out of retirement pensions when the new owners take over on November 1.

Perigrine was appointed as Lakeside's receiver in 2001 and has operated the nursing home since that time. Recently Peregrine purchased Lakeside and immediately demanded the workers give up their pensions and re-apply for their own jobs.

Despite having operated Lakeside for the past 9 years, Peregrine now says that the long time staff is not worthy of staying on as caregivers for the elderly and ill residents they have served for many years. Furthermore, even if they are rehired, the long-term receivers turned owners want the workers to give up their pensions.

At today's press conference, the Service Employees International Union 1199, family members of Lakeside residents and the Tompkins County Workers' Center demanded that Peregrine guarantee the jobs and pensions of the Lakeside workers. 

In a separate statement, the Ithaca Democratic Socialists of America pledged their support of the workers and decried the "unbelievable arrogance and gall" of the "new" owners who, they said, "are rewarding loyal and hard working employees with demands that remind us of the union busting heyday of the 1930s."

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has released its Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement regarding the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) techniques for extracting natural gas. The public has until November 30 to submit comments.

Table 6.2 (page 6-31) shows an analysis of some of the substances used in fracking in Pennsylvania and West Virginia that are brought to the surface during the fracking operation . The SGEIS states: “Characteristics of flowback from the Marcellus Shale in New York are expected to be similar to flowback from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, but not identical.”

Table 6.2 reveals the presence of extraordinarily high concentrations of a compound called 4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide in all 25 wells tested in Pennsylvania. A few minutes on the web discloses that this compound is a well-known mutagen (think birth defects) and carcinogen.

When asked if the report could be an error, a DEC official said,”(W)e are looking into whether or not this is an error. This provision was put together by one of our consultants.”

This is frightening no matter what. If it is accurate, we will be exposed to this deadly toxin; if it is an error made by a “consultant,” what does that say for the whole study?