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Don't Frack with Ny Water! s w e n d e h s r e t a w DON’T FRACK WITH NY WATER! A Virtual Community Comes to Life ByTina Posterli GWENDOLYN CHAMBERS n 2008, the issue of hydraulic fracturing survive and bringing income into their Don’t Frack com - I(hydrofracking or fracking) for natural state, not signing away their right to clean munity were instru - gas in the Marcellus Shale came to the water. mental in the New forefront in New York State. Ever since, In the summer of 2010, Riverkeeper and York State Senate and Riverkeeper has been playing a major role partner organizations Catskill Assembly passing a bill that places a in protecting our drinking water supply Mountainkeeper and the Natural moratorium on fracking until May 15, from hasty and dangerous fracking prac - Resources Defense Council along with 2011, a bill that had been “DOA” until tices by issuing a series of reports docu - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and screen actor and thousands of supporters rallied, wrote and menting fracking incidents across the fracktivist Mark Ruffalo, visited Dimock called their legislators. In September, country and providing comments to the to see firsthand the dangers of fracking N New York State Department of gone wrong. Shortly afterward, through O S P M I Environmental Conservation (DEC) on its the generous donation of Riverkeeper S Y A draft environmental impact statement Board of Directors member David Kowitz, J (EIS), the worst Riverkeeper has ever seen. we worked with Fenton Communications In 2010, filmmaker Josh Fox brought the to launch the Don’t Frack With NY Water! issue of fracking into national focus with campaign, which has grown into a commu - his Oscar-nominated documentary, nity of almost 7,000 strong. Don’t Frack Gasland. The film highlighted the town of With NY Water! was launched as a virtual Dimock, Pennsylvania, a community that campaign supported by grassroots outreach was rushed into signing fracking permits and has been a powerful tool in creating by the gas and oil industry before proper awareness about fracking issues and mobi - regulations were in place. During a failing lizing people concerned about the quality economy, people in this community of their water to take action. Over the Dimock resident Craig Sautner displays water from his thought they were helping their families to summer and fall of 2010, the actions of the contaminated drinking well. 20 M O C Riverkeeper and the Don’t Frack With NY . D R O F Water! community were present at the EPA H S A S E L Hydraulic Fracturing Study hearings in I G Binghamton, New York. Riverkeeper also released a report at the hearing, titled Fractured Communities, which highlights over 100 case studies where federal and state regulators identified gas drilling oper - ations, including those that utilize hydraulic fracturing, as the known or sus - pected cause of groundwater, drinking Riverkeeper and coalition members visit the site of gas drilling in Dimock, PA. water, and surface water contamination. In M December, 2010, Governor David Paterson helped me to feel empowered instead of O C . D issued an Executive Order calling for a feeling afraid or intimidated about this R O F H S temporary timeout on permitting the use issue. I’m grateful that they have put A S E L I of horizontal wells for fracking for natural everything together in such a succinct way, G gas through July 1, 2011. However, the and have made it so easy for us to take Executive Order creates a loophole that oil action and make a difference.” and gas corporations can exploit to allow Laura Dobbins is another Don’t Frack another form [vertical wells] to be permit - community member making a difference. ted immediately. She’s been working with Riverkeeper to use Don’t Frack With NY Water! communi - public screenings of Gasland as a tool to ty member Emily Ascher Rann is the educate people about fracking and has mother of a young son and has been brought many new supporters to the Don’t involved with the campaign, doing grass - Frack With NY Water! community. Gas drilling in Dimock, PA roots outreach by handing out materials According to Laura, “Sometimes people and educating others about the fracking just need gentle reminders that lead to the City, Philadelphia, the National Park issue in New York City’s Union Square. ‘aha moment’ that we’re all in this togeth - Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “As New Yorkers, we are fortunate er. For example, that what happened in many elected officials, and thousands of cit - enough to have some of the best unfiltered Dimock and other communities across the izens, and in March, New York Times drinking water in the world,” said Emily. country can happen here if we don’t do writer Ian Urbina released an epic gas “It’s horrifying to think fracking and the something about it now. Once people real - drilling wastewater series documenting an chemicals it releases can happen so close to ize that the water they depend on is at extensive and disturbing amount of infor - our precious water supply. Through the stake, amazing things start to happen. They mation gathered from EPA, state regulators Don’t Frack community, Riverkeeper has realize they have the power to stop it.” and gas drilling companies that has not Natural gas development been previously made available, either to M O C . has been progressing across the public or to other government regula - D R O F the vast Marcellus Shale at tors and decision-makers. The information H S A S E L a pace and scale that no Urbina brought to light definitively estab - I G one ever envisioned, and lishes that the danger to public health and there is still a long way to the environment from hydraulic fracturing go on the fracking front in is much greater than previously understood. New York to ensure that The work that the Don’t Frack With NY our most precious natural Water! community members and other resource is not at risk. fracktivists across the state are doing is In February 2011, The helping to shape the way for the regulation Delaware River Basin of fracking practices and standards across Commission (DRBC), the country. We are all taking a stand to issued drilling and fracking say, “not here, not now.” Because once rules against the will of our water supplies are fracked with, there I Left to right: Mike Richter, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and a resident of New York State, New York is no going back. Dimock, PA. Get involved! Join our Don’t Frack With NY Water! community: www.facebook.com/dontfrackwithny 21.
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