Chip called it right: No Fracking Rush

We’ve been hearing from Cuomo since early spring, “We’re gonna frack ya soon!!”

In March it was “in a couple of months. => never happened.
In April it was “by the end of summer” => didn’t happen.
In June it was the “5 County Sacrifice Zone”, and that went over like a 2-ton balloon at the Spedie Fest.

The Binghamton Press and Sun reports now something that Chip Northrup has been saying all along, that Cuomo says there is No Fracking Rush:

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20120910/NEWS10/309100070/Cuomo-No-pressure-immediate-fracking-decision

Chip Northrup called this game right:
http://blog.shaleshockmedia.org/2012/08/22/no-nys-shale-gas-wells-in-2012-2013-or/

Here is a list of Cuomo’s incentives to drill now (none are good for most NY citizens):

Pressure from gas co’s who want to poke a hole and secure a lease. Avoids the nasty invocation of Force Majure, when usually gets bad press

Pressure from market profiteers who want to sell this gas overseas at 4x markup.

New Inergy NGL* facility at Watkins Glen will allow storage of Natural Gas Liquids, so the landowner receives royalties at $2 mcf (minus production costs — hah! double-dipping frackers laughing on the way to the bank), and then it can be sold when the price hits $10 mcf.

Tom Wilbur confirms this theory: “There is important and controversial work ongoing to develop infrastructure, however, including converting salt mines on the west side of Seneca Lake into a facility to warehouse surplus gas coming on line in Pennsylvania and Ohio until prices rise“ Source: http://tomwilber.blogspot.com/2012/09/dec-meeting-with-enviros-suggests-sgeis.html

(* new term for me: NGL=Natural Gas Liquids)

Pressure from “greedy landowners” (their term!!) who want to get a fat royalty check.
BUT! they would be fools to want to drill now with these record low prices.
AIN’T NO ROAD TO THAT FAT CHECK NOW, BOYS.

List of disincentives to drill now:

No easy way to get this gas overseas fast now. (This is why they are building big pipelines like the Constitution and also LNG export facilities)
Record low prices mostly due to overproduction in PA

Oh, and let’s not forget

Massive grassroots opposition. 51% to 98% within impacted areas. A Super Majority in most areas.

I have been involved in activism for ~15 years and I have never seen a movement this large with so many people engaged!

So I have to agree with Chip.
There is no good reason to frack NY any time soon.
And this delay will give us needed time to:

1) elect anti-fracking candidates to every office from Town Clerk to Congressman,
2) work on local town bans
3) build our movement for a NY state-wide ban.

Here is Bill’s prediction:
We WILL get a ban on fracking!