Grassroots coalition blasts Cuomo plan to sacrifice rural communities to drillers

Grassroots coalition blasts Cuomo plan to sacrifice rural communities to drillers Press Release June 13, 2012
“How dare anyone consider the Southern Tier a sacrifice zone?” “If children of other parts of the state are worthy of protection, why is it OK to poison our children?” … Sectioning off parts of the state to use as sacrifice zones pits region against region and betrays a wonton disregard for the lives of people in more rural areas, as opposed to urban and suburban areas. Even more damaging, it strips the people in these communities of their right to decide for themselves whether the high environmental and health risks associated with fracking are worth the benefit of potential financial rewards for a few big landowners and gas corporation shareholders. “It gives all the power to town board members in the Southern Tier who, along with ‘landowner coalitions’ and industry lawyers, are pushing an agenda that benefits a few but will have far-reaching negative consequences for many,” said CPNY cofounder and spokesperson Jack Ossont. … Besides that, Stephens pointed out, “Air and water know no political boundaries. Fracking pollution, as well as the heavy industrial traffic, will be shared by the entire region.” More than 100 towns in New York State have passed protective moratoria or bans on fracking, and almost the same number of others are working toward such laws. Opposition to fracking has grown at a rapid pace in the last two years as more people become aware of the irremediable harms to water, air, health, property values, and quality of life that the industry brings. “We have friends in Pennsylvania. We see their anguish,” said CPNY’s Dave Walczak, from Steuben County. “It is a war zone there. We sure don’t want to invite an industrial army here to use us as collateral damage.”