|
Brothers and Sisters from Egypt and Elsewhere! Tomorrow is the big day! Residents near proposed drilling sites will give public comments before the DRBC - Delaware River Basin Commission. 250,000 GAS WELLS are being proposed to poison water along waterways in NY, NJ and PA by global driller.
Yesterday, people began lining up to sign up to speak three hours before the hearing (10:30 AM). A PR firm, Quantum Communications, working for the AMERICAN NATURAL GAS ASSOCIATION, provided organizing assistance, FOOD and cozy gathering places, and message coaching to the PRO DRILLERS. They were especially effective at lining up public officials to launch hot verbal attacks against the DRBC, wrapping natural gas drilling in the American flag and accusing the DRBC of being "autocratic" for setting limits on how close huge, multi-well drill pads, full of toxic materials, are allowed to be to streams and wetlands. Over and over they demanded that DRBC defer to the state of Pennsylvania, instead of setting higher standards in the Delaware River watershed. That would be very convenient for the industry because the lower bar is cheaper for them; the oil and gas industry is EXEMPT from key requirements in state law, such as the requirement for a 150 foot forested buffer next to a high-quality stream.
HOW DO WE GET PIZZA TO THE PEOPLE AGAINST FRACKING?
When: Thursday February 24th, two sessions:
Speaking 12:30 sharp for 1:30 – 5 PM session;
Speaking 5 PM sharp for 6 – 9:30 session.
Where: Patriots Theater, War Memorial
1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, NJ
Capacity: 1,833
It would also be super-convenient to drillers if DRBC defers to the state because the rapidly revolving door between PA state regulators, PA lawmakers, lobbyists, and the industry has made the Department of Enviromental Protection into a "partner" helping the gas industry develop, rather than a real protector of public health. I've personally spoken with many rural people whose water has been poisoned, who found the DEP seemed more interested in deflecting blame away from the industry rather than helping people who were worried about their health or whose animals were sick, dying, or giving birth to deformed or stillborn young.
Columbus International Pizza 8 S. Warren St. (609) 393-5707
If you are brand new to this issue and wondering what it's all about, please go right now to protectingourwaters.com and our allies (such as delawareriverkeeper.org, listed on our website) to satisfy your curiosity. Our streams and rivers, air and climate, public health and community justice -- YOUR drinking water and our neighbors' health upstream and downstream -- are at risk and we must not allow gas drilling to rush forward at this time. We demand a continued moratorium at least until the EPA study is done on this brand-new, risky and contaminating technology and at least until a Cumulative Impact Study (CIS) is assessed for the Delaware River Basin. Those are absolute minimum, common sense demands. People and animals are getting seriously sick from gas drilling and we must first find out why, THEN much later, after much study, if there is a way to do it safely, develop regulations.
These regulations are premature and must be strengthened, not weakened. Please ask for this draft to be withdrawn, the public comment period to be extended, and another draft developed after the EPA study and CIS study are done. Meantime, hands off the Delaware River Basin!
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(532 posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
