22 July 2010

BUS TRIP to EPA Hydraulic Fracturing ("Fracking") Study Public Meeting

Thursday, August 12, 2010

PLEASE Call:
845-247-3374
* * BY AUGUST 3rd * *
to Secure Your Seat (and reserve the bus)

general itenerary:
  • 7:30 am - charter bus departs to Binghamton, NY from Bradley Meadows PARKING LOT, Woodstock, NY
  • film showing: Gasland, by Josh Fox
  • 10:30 am - arrive at Binghamton University
  • NOON- pre-registration for the 1-5 pm meeting
  • 1 - 5 pm - Meeting
  • 6:30 pm - bus departs for Woodstock
  • film showing: TBD
  • 9:30 pm - arrive in Woodstock, NY- Bradley Meadows Parking lot

$30 per person, total Round Trip

delicious homemade snacks and light refreshments will be provided

BRING A BAG LUNCH

PLEASE Call: 845-247-3374

* * BY AUGUST 3rd * *

to Secure Your Seat (and reserve the bus)

YOU MAY PREREGISTER FOR THE 1:00PM MEETING AT

:www.hfmeeting.cadmusweb.com

most especially if you want to try for a 10 minute speaking slot in that meeting

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

GENERAL INFORMATION

Binghamton, NY

Date: August 12, 2010

Location: Binghamton University, Anderson Center for the Performing Arts, Osterhout Concert Theater

The meeting times are:

8:00am – 12:00pm (pre-registration begins at 7:00am);

WE ARE GOING, TO MAKE THIS ONE: 1:00pm – 5:00pm (pre-registration begins at 12:00pm);

6:00pm – 10:00pm (pre-registration begins at 5:00pm)

The EPA is holding 6 meetings around of the country on the subject of Hydraulic Fracking, the final 3 of which are being held in Binghamton, NY. That is significant.

>> What is Fracking, and why is it a danger to our environment?briefly this is, "Fracking is a commonly accepted term for hydro-fracturing, a process where water, sand and chemicals are injected into the earth at high pressure. The aim of hydro-fracturing is to fracture rock formations deep underground in the hopes of liberating natural gas that would be otherwise inaccessible, and to bring it to the surface.""

>> What's the Problem?

Fracking is a radical procedure when compared to traditional methods of natural gas extraction. Until recently, it had been considered only as a measure of last resort.>

Below are just some of the many important differences:

* Vast amounts of water are required.

* Fracking uses various chemical lubricants, many of which are toxic.

* The chemicals used in fracking are considered proprietary, and are therefore secret.

* The water used in fracking poses a major disposal problem.

* There have been over a thousand instances of groundwater contamination in areas near fracking sites.

* Fracking has never been subject to an independent assessment of its environmental impact.

* Fracking isn't subject to federal regulation. (This was done via an EPA exemption pushed through Congress by then Vice-President Dick Cheney in 2005.)

* The full long-term environmental impact of fracking is unknown. As reports of water contamination near drilling sites proliferate throughout the country, there has been increasing pressure for Congress to reexamine the industry's EPA exemption and undertake an independent assessment of fracking's environmental impact.

The natural gas industry has been fighting Congressional action and has been doing everything they can to retain their exemption to the Clean Water Act. At the same time, they have been aggressively expanding their operations presumably to take advantage of the current lack of federal regulation."

go to http:// Frackaction.com

to learn more-

ALL OF LIFE NEEDS CLEAN WATER TO SURVIVE

12 July 2010

February 23, 1989 Letter to the Editor of the Woodstock Times

THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON THE NOW

To the Editors:

I am a Rotary exchange student, living for one year in the south of Brazil. In being here in what is called a Third World country, my eyes have been opened to a problem of this country that will affect the entire world- air pollution. In speaking with my peers, more importantly my seniors, I have become aware of a very potent problem in the northern area of Brazil- the Amazon forests. The lush, tropical Amazons are world famous, and they are also a rich source of natural resources for American companies as well as those of Brazil. Portions of the forest the size of West Germany are being killed each year, and new ones are not being planted. That leaves the region of the north dry and almost without the hope of rain year 'round. Tropical rain forests are one of the earth's largest suppliers of oxygen. With the death of so many thousands of unreplaced trees, compiled with the known problem in the ozone layer, our air and consequently our lives are in danger for the future.

It is so important for the public (old and especially young, for they are the world's future) to be educated about the "smaller" things going on in the world. We have some wonderful groups in our area to "Think Globally, Act Locally" in the cause of this situation. Man can create, but man can destroy in a second. Let's get together and be informed- take some action. The future of man and the creatures of the earth depend upon the now.

Ursula Wilkerson, 16
(Catskill-Woodstock, NY)
Parana, Brazil