Delaware River, a religious rallying point as drilling decisions approach

Shannon Ayala, NY Environmental News Examiner
November 14, 2011

In anticipation of a meeting over gas drilling permits for land near the Delaware River, which supplies water to New York City and other cities, one of five regional press conferences was held in front of Governor Cuomo's office yesterday, involving religious figures. The issue was HVHHF (high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing or fracking) in the Delaware River Basin. There were two religious voices amongst the speakers in Manhattan and all the while a woman meditating on the sidewalk.

"We are charged to care for the Earth in a just and sustainable way," said Sister Mary Anne Garisto, representing New York Interfaith Power and Light, a religious environmental action group. Sister Garisto discussed the impacts of fracking on water and climate as well as environmental justice issues concerning people that signed leases for drilling.

"Dumping radioactive waste into our rivers and streams, into the Delaware, that is not kosher," said Rabbi Marla Feldman representing Jews against Hydrofracking. "Jewish tradition teaches that natural resources belong to God and that it is our responsibility as human beings to be careful caretakers of that which God has entrusted to us," she added.

The person meditating had a large sheet sprawled on the sidewalk in front of her with the title on top: Lunch Time Silent Meditation for The Sacred Waters of New York State. Below was an explanation of fracking bordered by hearts and the words "love" and "water."

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-york/as-holidays-and-hearings-approach-religious-folk-detest-drilling-river-basin

something of scary scientific significance to bad decision-making about fracking.

Fracking is disastrous on whatever river bed or flood plain. The fact that some people who live around there or care about fracking are religious?


Coincidence!