BillHustonBlog: URGENT: Gas Drilling on Broome Co. PUBLIC LANDS imminent / TV show tonight / Public hearing Monday July 19 / YOUR ACTION NECESSARY!!!

URGENT
Please distribute this to all local lists:
fracking, Green, sustainibility, etc.

Please tell your friends interested in Hyrdofracking
and CLEAN DRINKING WATER to watch
Time Warner Cable, ch 4 in the Binghamton area,
Friday 10pm or Saturday 6pm
For an important show about this issue.
Includes video of this meeting:

Call 5 friends BY PHONE and tell them to watch.
Then, ask them to come to the public hearing Monday.
Details below.....

OUR ACTIONS NOW WILL AFFECT SEVEN GENERATIONS.

On July 15 2010
the Public Health, Environmental Protection,
and Transportation & Rural Development Committee
of the Broome County Legislature
passed two resolutions which begins the process
of negotiating leases for drilling for natural gas
in the Marcellus Shale formation
on PUBLIC LANDS in Broome County.

On this day, this committee voted to
grant to Barbara Fiala, Broome County Executive,
and to Joe Sluzar, County Attorney,
the right to begin contract negotiations with
Inflection Energy

These lands are THE COMMONS
collectively owned by all residents of Broome County,
however, despite some 50 concerned citizens
who showed up to voice their opinions,
NO public comment was taken.

Inflection Energy LLC of Denver
has offered to pay $3,000 an acre for access to
drilling rights on 5,300 acres of property
totaling $15.9M over five years.

These public lands include:
Broome County Airport (1200 acres)
Broome County Landfill (1284 acres)
total 2484 acres

Despite news reports that this was
"mostly at the airport and the landfill",
these properties amount to less than half
of the total parcel of 5300 acres.

Also, the Airport and the Landfill are in the
Little Choconut Creek Watershed which
supplies water to Johnson City, and parts of Binghamton.

Clearly Inflection Energy has their eyes on
our PUBLIC PARKS:
Look at the numbers:

Nathaniel Cole (317 acres) in the Town of Colesville;
Dorchester (1142 acres) in the Town of Triangle;
Finch Hollow (12 acres); in the Town of Maine
Greenwood (415 acres) in the Town of Nanticoke;
Grippen and Roundtop (46 acres) in the Village of Endicott;
Hawkins Pond (307 acres) in the Town of Windsor;
Otsiningo (150 acres) in the Town of Dickinson
total 2389 in parks
subtotal so far is 4873 acres

Even including the parks,
this still leaves 427 acres in other areas
of the county, presumably on sites of county buildings,
easements, roads, and rights of way.

Mark. S. Sexton, who is CEO of Inflection Energy
also sits on the board of Pioneer Natural Resources,
which recently was accused of several environmental
violations at the Oooguruk oil field on the Northern
Slope of Alaska, by a whistleblower.

Recently, when asked "who would be the beneficiary
of gas drilling on PUBLIC LANDS in Broome County,
Sexton admitted that it would not be the citizens
of Broome County, or even NY, but would instead
be NYSEG, now owned by a Spanish company,
and admitted this "surplus capacty" would be shipped
on to interstate pipelines. Listen:
http://www.newschannel34.com/news/local/story/Natural-Gas-Pipelines/dgZK6OlQOUO7D-pkxiSxxw.cspx

This action is essentially ENCLOSURE,
a transfer of PUBLIC WEALTH
to PRIVATE individuals and corporations
for PRIVATE PROFITS, PRIVATE GAINS.

There is NO PUBLIC BENEFIT
and great risks to the public,
to our drinking water,
and to the natural beauty of this place.

Even if you've never been active in something like this..
It's time to get involved!

URGENT NYRAD announcement:

YOUR ONLY CHANCE TO SPEAK OUT may be at a Public Hearing on County Natural Gas Leasing Proposal
WHEN: MONDAY JULY 19th, 5:00 to 6:30 pm
WHERE: Broome County Office Building, 6th Floor, Hawley Street, Binghamton

Broome County is Ground Zero for the natural gas rush. We need a strong showing on Monday to tell our legislators that we do not want them to rubber stamp a lease deal and gamble with our public lands. Every person's presence will make an impact whether you choose to speak or not. Our message must be loud and clear: We will not have elected officials making a decision of this gravity without public input. Let's hold these people accountable to be good stewards of the public trust. They will vote on Thursday July 22.

Come as early as you can in order to be assured a spot. Bring signs, dress outrageously.

For more information go to www.NYRAD.org
Contact - Yvonne Lucia: Artsy56@aol.com (607) 723-4786

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Groups to get involved in: