Margaret makes an excellent point. Our position in protesting hydrofracking
in the Marcellus Shale is NIABYism (Not In Anybody's Backyard), not
NIMBYism, and it's the most responsible position to take, from both an
environmental point of view, as well as a social justice one.
In case you haven't already signed Walter Hang's coalition letter, here it
is to sign and forward widely:
http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/coalition_letter .
George Frantz is oversimplifying the anti-fracking position in his recent
post. He lumps all protesters together under the label of "leisure class
environmentalism," basing his argument on the false assumption that all of
us who are against fracking -- and we were over 1,000-strong last night at
the State Theatre! -- blithely plan to use fossil fuel forever; that we are
doing absolutely nothing to reduce our CO2 output; that we are a bunch of
hypocrites who could care less about the environmental devastation caused by
fracking in other states and nations. Nothing could be farther from the
truth.
It is the very people who are protesting, the very individuals who spoke so
eloquently and knowledgably last night who are the most responsible citizens
in our community. Each and every one is a leader in the sustainability
movement, in his or her own unique way. They are the ones who are
documenting and sharing the devastation from other states. They are the ones
researching, educating and investing in renewable energy options and energy
conservation measures. They are the ones working hard to improve our present
and our future. They may not all be able to afford to transition immediately
to renewable energy (and George criticizes them harshly for it), but they
are doing their best to go in that direction.
In the Ithaca area, there are hundreds of local organic farmers like us who
not only refused to sign a drilling lease a few years ago, but at the same
time took personal responsibility to lower our footprint. We invested $5,000
in insulating our farmhouse, and $6,000 in an energy-efficient wood stove
that supplies 100% of our heat; we built 30 raised beds, grow much of our
food, and share the rest with friends; we invested thousands to drain our
fields and amend our soil to create an organic CSA for the community; and
we're now saving for a geothermal system and solar panels. Our "leisure
time" is spent in activism, promoting citizen engagement in government,
liberation from corporate control, and sustainable living. (For more info,
visit www.backtodemocracy.org .) Our personal details are only relevant
because they represent a huge portion of residents of Tompkins County who
share our commitment to sustainable agriculture and renewable energy.
For over 25 years, my husband and I have been a good land stewards. As a
result, our organic fields have provided high-quality barley, spelt, oats,
wheat, rye and soy to the community. We could have sold out to developers.
We could have made quick cash by signing a drilling lease. But we chose not
to because we considered those choices highly irresponsible. We chose
instead to take care of our land. Since our farm is on Cayuga Lake, we pay
very high property taxes. Is it fair that we don't get any tax break or cash
bonus for protecting the lake from chemical runoff? Is it fair that those
who sign drilling leases get wealthier while they risk poisoning the
environment for the rest of us, as well as future generations? Why should
they be allowed to plunder the Earth -- to risk dredging up radioactivity
that will sicken every living thing around them -- just to make quick money
for themselves? Why should we have to pay for the consequences of their
choices? And surely, we will. We'll pay for the cleanup of inevitable
spills. We'll pay with our health, and with our peace of mind. And so will
our children, and our grandchildren, and all the living things around us.
Our property will surely devalue as this region becomes riddled with
industrial drilling sites, traffic becomes congested with heavy rigs, and
water and air pollution skyrockets. There is already a radioactive well in
Watkins Glen, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.
It would be highly irresponsible NOT to protest hydrofracking. Stand up to
the mulitnational corporations who want to plunder what belongs to us!
Jan Quarles
Bluebird Farm
Ovid, NY
----- Original Message -----
From: "Margaret McCasland" <[email protected]>
To: "Sustainable Tompkins County listserv"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 11:44 PM
Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] Marcellus shale drilling NIMBYism
One danger with cross posting (which I did when I posted a portion of
this Shaleshock thread on Sustainable Tompkins) is that the context of
the full thread of the list-serves in general is lacking. And I think
this may have contributed to george's reactions.
The reason I made the cross-post is because I felt the Shaleshock thread
underscored the need for the work ST does on energy conservation and
efficiency, which I wanted to reinforce.
The lost context did not show the lack of NIMBYism among Shaleshockers: I
have heard only increased sympathy for people living in other extraction
"sacrifice zones," such as mountaintop removal and long wall mining, not
to mention the folks who have been fracked in other states. There is no
good acronym for this sort of compassion and cooperation: but it would
look like NIABY (not in anybody's back yard).
Which gets us back to where we each should be: buttoning up our houses,
cutting our own use of gas and coal, while calling for appropriate state
and national public policies which support safe energy production (safe
enough to have in anyone's back yard!)
Margaret
On Nov 19, 2009, at 9:56 PM, George Frantz wrote:
Thank you, Margaret and Autumn.
I'm not in agreement with all the points you've made. I think however
that you've raise a critical issue in that much of the debate over
Marcellus shale drilling is sounding more and more like simple NIMBYism.
I see nothing progressive or enlightened about the vehement opposition
to any and all frack-based natural gas drilling in this region. As I've
said before we are confronted with an industry that would dig up its
mothers' graves if there was a chance of finding natural gas beneith
them, but I also think that some of the outrageous exaggerations and
distortions by Shaleshock and its ilk would even impress the great
SpinMeister Karl Rove.
The current controversy is just another of a long string of examples in
Ithaca of what true progressives and true environmentalists refer to as
"leisure class environmentalism." It's probably not a term you'll hear
on NPR or read in the New York Times, but by definition it is the
constant action of more affluent cities and regions to push off the
significant adverse environmental impacts of their middle class American
lifestyle onto poorer regions and communities of the world.
Some three-quarters of homes in the city and the town of Ithaca are
heated with natural gas, as are all of our centers of employment, our
stores, bars, restaurants and I suspect even the State Theatre. Overall
in Tompkins County almost 6 in ten homes are heated with natural gas or
propane from afar. Indeed the entire economy of Upstate New York is
dependent of natural gas and propane produced and imported from
thousands of miles away.
I've seen too much of the damage wreaked by energy companies first hand
in poor communities of Appalachia and Louisiana in their quest to meet
Ithaca's demands for coal, natural gas and gasoline. I personally
refuse to be a party to an effort by Ithaca-style progressives to once
again push off on other, poorer, regions of America and the world the
severe environmental costs of maintaining our little paradise here in
the Finger Lakes.
And, speaking of dairy farms, there are over 300 Marcellus Shale wells
either drilled, being drilled, or have been permitted across the border
in Bradford County, PA. Many of them are on dairy farms. In many cases
you can not even see the finished wells, because the drilling sites have
been restored and crops have been planted.
Millions of gallons of fracking fluids are flowing right now. Probably
some 5-6 billion gallons or so of water have been pulled from the
Susquehanna River or its tributaries by now. Take a drive down and
check out the environmental havoc wreaked by the drilling companies, if
you can find it.
George Frantz
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_______________________________________________
For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area,
please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for:
[email protected]
http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins
Questions about the list? ask
[email protected]
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_______________________________________________
For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please
visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for:
[email protected]
http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins
Questions about the list? ask [email protected]
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