MARCH - 2013 FRACKING IN ILLINOIS http://news.yahoo.com/illinois-deal-fracking-could-national-210307441.html
"The fact that Illinois got there," was significant, said Brian Petty, executive vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs at the International Association of Drilling Contractors. "Anytime you can bring the lion and lamb to the table, it's a good thing. But it's so highly politicized in lot of places" that compromise could be difficult. In New York, where a fracking moratorium is in effect until a health study is completed, one activist said Illinois environmentalists caved in when they should have pushed harder to block fracking. "We would love to see that kind of bipartisan cooperation," said Hugh McDiarmid, spokesman for the Michigan Environmental Council. The Illinois bill "has a lot of good ideas and a lot of things ... that mirror what we're trying to achieve in Michigan" because stopping or banning fracking would be unrealistic. That's exactly what motivated some Illinois environmental groups to sit down with industry, lawmakers, regulators and the attorney general's office. In Illinois, it came down to "do we accept the invitation to go to the table or walk away and allow industry to write the rules?" said Allen Grosboll, co-legislative director at the Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center. "For us to say we were not going to participate and drive the hardest deal we could to protect environment would have been totally irresponsible." The Natural Resources Defense Council supported a failed attempt at a fracking moratorium last year. So with lawmakers clearly ready to allow fracking in southern Illinois, the NRDC wanted to ensure there were significant safeguards, including making drillers liable for water pollution, requiring them to disclose the chemicals used and enabling residents to sue for damages. "One of the positive things here has been the table to which a wide range of interests have come ... to address the risks in an adult way," said Henry Henderson, director of the NRDC's Midwest office. "We have gotten over the frustrating chasm of 'Are you for the environment or for the economy?' That is an empty staring contest." Negotiations took place over four or five months, primarily at the Statehouse in meetings led by state Rep. John Bradley, a Democrat who lives in the area where fracking would occur, participants said. That group was pared even further for the toughest negotiations, which included discussions with outside technical experts on complicated issues, said Ann Alexander, an NRDC senior attorney. "I won't say there weren't times that voices got raised a little bit, but ... it's a very good model of cooperation," Alexander said. "It beats the (typical) model of having drafts furtively circulating ... or emerging at the last minute when nobody has had a chance to read them." With oil companies leasing millions of acres around the country in a rush to extract oil and gas reserves, more states will face similar challenges. More than 170 bills were introduced in 29 states last year to regulate oil and gas drilling, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Only 14 became law. Many were simply to define whether local, state or federal government could regulate fracking. The bills don't include regulations drafted by state regulatory agencies, rather than lawmakers. California state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson said Illinois was able to negotiate many of the same protections she wants in her state, where energy companies are eying a shale formation near Santa Barbara that may have four times more oil than North Dakota. She said regulations proposed by the governor's office were inadequate. Environmentalists and industry have worked together to control pollution in the past, including on individual fracking issues in some states, though none was as comprehensive as the Illinois bill. But many environmental groups would rather forbid fracking completely. Even in Illinois, some environmental groups don't support the bill and are mobilizing to seek an outright ban. On Saturday, fracking opponents interrupted Bradley while he spoke at a conference in southern Illinois. They plan another protest Monday, at a conference of county officials. "If you put together the right formula, you can move forward," he said.
FEBRUARY - 2013 Dear Friends, Coalition Leaders, Landowners and Natural Gas Supporters, Late Friday 02-15-13 the JLCNY issued the attached press release. The press release refers to a letter signed by 50 town supervisors, councilmen, planning board members, highway superintendents, assessors and tax collectors from the southern tier who disagree with the Association of Towns' position on oil and gas drilling bans. A copy of the letter is also attached. This release illustrates how important it is for the media, the public, and our elected and appointed officials to know that applying home rule to Natural Gas development is not popular, prudent, or acceptable. We expect this will correct the misconceptions created by the Association of Towns previous filings related to the Dryden and Middlefield cases now on appeal. Please share it with your friends, family members, and acquaintances who support safe and responsible Natural Gas development in New York State. To futher advocate for the support of developing NY's Natural Gas Reserves, please continue to call Governor Cuomo at the following two numbers. 518-474-8390 AND 212-681-4580 Call each number as many times per day as you possibly can to show our numbers and resolve! Warm Regards, ***** Dear Friends, Coalition Leaders, Landowners and Natural Gas Supporters, Attached are statements from DEC Commissioner Martens and Department of Health Commissioner Shah. Commissioner Shah says he still needs a few weeks to complete the health review. DEC says if DOH finds that the SGEIS adequately addresses health concerns, the SGEIS can be adopted and permits issued 10 days later. ***** Dear Friends, Coalition Leaders, Landowners, and Natural Gas Supporters, ***** Dear Friends, Coalition Leaders, Landowners, and Natural Gas Supporters, Broome County has issued the survey linked to here... http://broomeplan.questionpro.com/ I'm asking all natural gas supporters to please respond to it and to share it with other supporters so they can respond to it as well. Our leaders need to hear from us that NG development is important to us and our communities. Responding to this survey will allow us to be involved in the future plans for Broome County. Please partake ASAP! Warmest Regards, ****** JLC SEEKS PLAINTIFF JLCNY Seeks Plaintiff Candidates for its Lawsuit Against NYS Dear Friends, Coalition Leaders, Landowners and Natural Gas Supporters, On February 8, 2013, the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York announced that it has been laying the ground work for a lawsuit against New York State for a taking of our property rights under the United States and New York Constitutions. The JLCNY is now seeking landowner candidates to serve as plaintiffs in the action. The JLCNY believes that New York has no intention of ever completing the SGEIS or the regulations for high volume hydraulic fracturing. After 4 ½ years, today marks another deadline missed by NY - the date to complete the HVHF regulations. While our nation’s leaders bring us closer than ever to achieving energy independence, cleaner air and economic prosperity, NY threatens to impede our progress and deny the constitutionally guaranteed rights of NY landowners. The lawsuit against the state will focus on claims where the failure to grant HVHF permits has deprived landowners of all economically viable uses of their real property or interfered with reasonable investment-backed expectations. While we would like to include a large number of plaintiffs in the action, the economic reality is that numerous plaintiffs would make the action too costly to prosecute. Mineral appraisals will be required for each property in the action. Accordingly, we plan to proceed with a limited number of plaintiffs to give ourselves the best opportunity to establish legal precedent in NY. We are seeking one plaintiff for each of the following categories: 1. Sub-surface Mineral Owners a. Property owners who purchased the sub-surface oil, gas and other minerals prior to July 23, 2008, the date Governor Patterson announced a review process to update the Generic Environmental Impact Statement applicable to HVHF. b. The property should be in the regions where the Marcellus or Utica Shales are the primary target with few prospects for other formations such as the Herkimer or Trenton Black River. c. The property must be located in the Susquehanna River Basin. d. Sub-surface mineral owners in Broome County are likely candidates. 2. Lessor Plaintiffs a. Landowners under a lease with an oil and gas company where the company has applied for a Marcellus or Utica drilling permit or a permit has been withdrawn because of New York’s delay in completing the SGEIS. b. The property should be in the regions where the Marcellus or Utica Shales are the primary target with few prospects for other formations such as the Herkimer or Trenton Black River. c. The property must be located in the Susquehanna River Basin. a. Landowners who own the sub-surface oil, gas and other minerals and who have had a prior oil and gas well drilled on their property, fully depleting formations such as the Herkimer, Oneida or Trenton Black River, leaving only the Marcellus and Utica as viable formations. Landowners with prior wells in Chenango County are potential candidates. 4. Fee Simple Owners (surface and sub-surface) b. The property should be located in a core Marcellus or Utica region. c. We are looking for a property having little or no economic value in the surface. These could be properties where building or farming are impractical or where there are surface restrictions which limit surface uses, but still allow for the development of sub-surface oil and gas. d. Properties with deed restrictions prohibiting commercial development do not qualify. Candidates who fit within one of the above categories should contact: Scott R. Kurkoski, Esq. The JLCNY is exploring various options to fund the litigation against the state. Please do not send donations for the litigation until the JLCNY sends a specific litigation funding request. Other donations to the JLCNY are welcome. Warm Regards,
PACK THE THEATER - PHELIM MCALEER BRINGS FILM FRACKNATION TO UPSTATE NY FEBRUARY 2, 2013—BINGHAMTON – The Joint Landowners Coalition of NY (JLCNY) today announced that it will host Phelim McAleer at a screening of his documentary film, FrackNation, at the Regal Theater in Binghamton, NY on Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 2pm. A second screening is planned for Monday, February 11, 2013 at 7pm at the Swyer Theater in Albany. “This documentary unearths shocking revelations that are a must see by NY officials who were misguided by the film Gasland, along with its cottage industry of anti-energy activists,” said Dan Fitzsimmons, president of the JLCNY. “Countless NY citizens have been hurt by this four-and-a-half year delay. It’s time for the facts to be seen, for the misinformation to be corrected, and for sound decisions based on science, not hysteria to guide our state government.” FrackNation follows journalist Phelim McAleer across America as he faces threats, malicious 911 calls and bogus lawsuits for just trying to question green extremists for the truth about fracking. McAleer uncovers fracking facts suppressed by environmental activists, and he talks with New Yorkers, who have been hurt the most by a four-and-a-half-year de-facto moratorium on natural gas development. “FrackNation is pro-truth and pro-investigative journalism. It reveals the exaggerations and frauds that are at the heart of the anti-fracking movement and the length activists will go to reach their goal of banning fracking,” said Phelim McAleer, co-director. Fracking is a way of extracting oil and gas from deep in the earth. It has led to a fossil fuel boom in many states across the U.S. and has become the number one target of the environmental movement. In addition to being attacked in the HBO documentary Gasland, it was also demonized by Matt Damon's Hollywood movie Promised Land. The New York Times, which has been skeptical of fracking, reviewed FrackNation and said it is "meticulously researched...provocative." FrackNation was funded by 3,305 backers – many of whom are from the Southern tier of NY – through crowd-funding website Kickstarter. While admission to the screening is free, the JLCNY encourages donations to make these screenings possible. Please visit: www.jlcny.org to register and donate through Paypal or send a check to: JLCNY P.O. Box 2839 Binghamton, NY 13902 Please click on this link: http://bit.ly/WnZjji or visit www.JLCNY.org to register. It's free but we'd really appreciate a donation to cover our event expenses and promotion efforts.
JANUARY - 2013 URGENT January 31, 2013
Thank you. You can also see a video of your Lawyer, Scott Kurkoski, speaking at the NYS Assembly Hearing January 10, 2013. We are lucky to have him on our side. Thanks for all of your help! ********** Dear Friends, Coalition Leaders, Landowners, and Natural Gas Supporters, The JLCNY recently learned that anti-gas protestors have been inflating the number of responses they send to Governor Cuomo by telling each protestor to send the same letter many times over and over for many days, again and again. It makes me mad that they would try to influence the Governor in such a way. And I'll bet it makes you mad also knowing that this is what they're doing to prevent you and our communities from enjoying the benefits of safe, responsible natural gas development. But rather than let our anger get the best of us I'd like to suggest a way that we can get even! The JLCNY has created a set of two new letters for landowners to send to Governor Cuomo to express our support for safe and responsible natural gas development in New York and are combining it with our popular "barn" letter. Please down load, print, sign and mail at least one different letter each day and keep doing that day after day until February 13th. Please mail the following files to Governor Cuomo at the following address… The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo FILES: We need tens of thousands of individual letters to go in. The anti-gas protestors are starting a new letter and phone campaign Monday 01-28-13, so we are asking you to make our campaign overwhelming on Monday and turn into a flood of letters after that, through February 13, and on to February 27. PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS IS A NUMBERS GAME NOW, AND WE MUST SHOW OUR NUMBERS! So if you want to send more than one letter per day, please send them in separate envelopes. It will help immensely! In addition, please also call the Governor at both of the following numbers to really drive the message home… As concerned as this may sound, we ARE winning in NY. We just have to keep the momentum up and growing. Your help in doing this will be most appreciated! Warm Regards, |
For more current information go to the website for the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York: http://www.jlcny.org/site/index.php Find JLNY on Facebook: Joint Landowner's Coalition of NY Inc.
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