PUBLIC HEARING on ONE-YEAR MORATORIUM- March 28th!

At the March 14 Enfield Town Board meeting, the Board passed a resolution to hold a vote on the moratorium on unconventional gas drilling that Town Lawyer, Guy Krogh, has prepared. However, before such a vote can take place, a public hearing must beheld.  This has been scheduled for March28th at 6:30 at the Enfield Elementary School.

The moratorium can be read here:

Town of Enfield Moratorium

Here’s a bit of a reminder about how the process that has been unfolding works.  The November 30th public hearing that many of you attended enabled the Board to ask the Town Attorney to draft the moratorium language.  The moratorium is now ready.  The hearing on March 28th is where the community tells the Town that they support the moratorium as written.

While ENSAW still supports a ban of hydrofracking per the petition you signed and will continue to work toward it, we believe that implementing this one-year moratorium is a solid and important first step toward protecting Enfield.

Once the moratorium is in place, the Board will have many projects to complete before the moratorium expires … a road use law, an aquifer study, a revision of our comprehensive plan, a revised site review plan, and, we hope, implementation of a full ban.  This is a lot of work and they will need support and time from many of us to help make it happen.  (ENSAW will continue to inform you of opportunities to get involved in this process as information becomes available.)

You can view the February 29, 2012 event where Guy Krogh presented the draft moratorium and Board members and Town residents asked questions about it at:

Enfield Information Session- One-Year Moratorium

You can read The Town of Caroline’s FAQ about their gas drilling moratorium,

much of which applies to Enfield, at:

Town of Caroline Moratorium FAQ

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR

AND PLAN TO ATTEND!!

Public Hearing on a

One Year Moratorium on Unconventional Gas Drilling

in the Town of Enfield
Wednesday, March 28th, 6:30 PM

at the Enfield Elementary School

Do You Know the Status and Terms of Your Gas Lease?

Protecting Property Rights - Terminating a Lease

A Gas Lease Workshop for Current, Potential, and Expiring Leases

Do you know the status and terms of your gas lease?*

Save the Date!

Sunday, March 18 from 2pm - 4pm

Sidney Fire Department

74 River Street Sidney, NY

*Bring a copy of your lease

Speakers will include:

Joseph Heath-Attorney

Ellen Harrison- Founder of FLEASED!

Ron Guichard-Realtor

View the DRAFT Moratorium to be discussed at the February 29th Information Session

A DRAFT of the Moratorium to be discussed at the Public Information Session this Wednesday night is available for public viewing.  If you'd like to read the document, click on the link below.  Don't forget to attend the meeting! 

PLEASE SAVE THESE DATES!!

MEETING 1:

PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION

February 29, 6:30 p.m., Enfield School GYM

An Informational meeting featuring Enfield Town Attorney, Guy Krogh, to provide information about the proposed moratorium on unconventional gas drilling in the Town of Enfield.

MEETING 2:

PUBLIC HEARING ON A ONE YEAR MORATORIUM ON UNCONVENTIONAL GAS DRILLING IN THE TOWN OF ENFIELD

The Town Board has just begun planning a public meeting to hear

 resident’s comments related to this moratorium.

Look for this to happen in late March

(We'll send a confirmation email with definite date/time)

TELL YOUR FRIENDS! SPREAD THE WORD!

Even if you don’t plan to speak, please plan to be there.

Your presence and continued support are greatly appreciated!

Important Town of Enfield Events- Save the date!

Good News! We're making progress toward protecting our Town!
At their last meeting on February 9th, the Enfield Town Board passed a motion to consider a one year moratorium on unconventional gas drilling in Enfield.
While we still feel that a ban will ultimately provide the best long term protection for Enfield, we are fully behind this first step in that direction. It will give us a year to put critical local ordinances in place, undertake studies regarding the aquifer, identify Critical Environmental Areas, and learn more about just how Home Rule will play out in New York State.

PLEASE SAVE THESE DATES!!

MEETING 1:

PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION

February 29, 6:30 p.m., Enfield School GYM

An Informational meeting featuring Enfield Town Attorney, Guy Krogh, to provide information about the

proposed moratorium on unconventional gas drilling in the Town of Enfield.

MEETING 2:

PUBLIC HEARING ON A ONE YEAR MORATORIUM ON

UNCONVENTIONAL GAS DRILLING IN THE TOWN OF ENFIELD

The Town Board has just begun planning a public meeting to hear resident’s

comments related to this moratorium.

Look for this to happen in late March

(We'll send a confirmation email with definite date/time)

TELL YOUR FRIENDS! SPREAD THE WORD!

Even if you don’t plan to speak, please plan to be there.

Your presence and continued support are greatly appreciated!

Dr. Anthony Ingraffea Presentation in the Town of Enfield

THE TOWN OF ENFIELD PRESENTS:

Dr. Anthony Ingraffea

The Science of Fracking in Enfield

Wednesday, February 1, 6:30-8:30

at the Enfield Elementary School

Dr. Anthony Ingraffea will speak about the science of high volume slick water hydraulic fracturing and the associated industrialization of the landscape. He will speak for an hour; the second hour will be devoted to questions.

For several years Dr. Ingraffea has been speaking all over the world about the process and impacts of shale gas extraction. The Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering at Cornell, Dr. Ingraffea has taught fracture mechanics, finite element methods, and structural mechanics at Cornell for 33 years. Dr. Ingraffea's research concentrates on computer simulation and physical testing of complex fracturing processes. He and his students have authored more than 250 papers on this research, and he has twice won the National Research Council/U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics Award for Research in Rock Mechanics (1978, 1991).

He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the premier journal in his field, Engineering Fracture Mechanics. Dr. Ingraffea is among 82 prominent scientists being considered for membership on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board panel on hydraulic fracturing.

Please attend, and bring a friend and your questions. Dr. Ingraffea is an engaging speaker who will help us understand the process and risks of this most pressing issue for our community.

Enfield Town Board Meeting- December 14th, 2011

The Enfield Town Supervisor has said that comments from the Public Comment Meeting will be addressed at this meeting. Everyone who can should come and show the Town Board that we expect a response equal to the concern of the comments made by the community on November 30th and in written comments since.

The meeting starts promptly at 6:45 PM so get there early to get a seat. If you wish to speak, you must sign up for up to 3 minutes of Priveledge of the Floor BEFORE the meeting begins. Comments should also be sent to the Enfield Town Board ASAP. Comments need not be long, but be clear about your position in favor of a ban.

Our goal at this meeting is to stress the urgency of directing the Town attorney, Guy Krogh, to draft a ban for consideration as soon as possible.

More than 70 Enfield residents spoke at the Public Comment meeting and even more have written to the Town Board to express that they wish to have a ban in place in our community- and all have done so eloquently. However, if you wish to speak on Wednesday or would like to email or mail your comments to the Town Board, but you would like information to refer to in doing so, we provide the points below for your convenience.

Points of Emphasis: 
- Permitting could begin as soon as April 2012.

- Because of this, a ban needs to be in place no later than the March Board meeting.

- There must be a Public Hearing before that date.

- In order to have a timely Public Hearing, preliminary approval must be no later than the February Board meeting.

- To be prepared for preliminary approval, dicussion of the ban must take place no later than the January Board meeting.

- For these reasons, drafing of the BAN MUST begin before January.

- Stress the preference of a BAN rather than a moratorium.

- The Town of Caroline is moving toward a ban. Enfield shares an attorney with Caroline. We may save money for both towns by drafting simultaneously.

- The Town of Dryden legal case is a test case. Attorneys at the Legal Presentation indicated it is unlikely that gas companies are looking for other towns to sue in this area as they are waiting for a precendent to be set in Dryden. Our liability with regard to legal action may not increase if we enact a ban, but our liabilities if we DON'T have a ban remain.

- The Enfield community has spoken and the choice is clear.

Comments to the Enfield Town Board may be emailed to the Town Supervisor, Roy Barierre, at rlb15@cornell.edu or mailed to 168 Enfield Main Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850.

As always, your participation is necessary and appreciated. We have come so far as a community with regard to this issue. Our continued efforts can see us through to our goal!

Public Comment Meeting- Wed., November 30th- 6:30PM

Please attend the Public Comment Session

Date: November 30, 2011

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Enfield Elementary School GYM

The Enfield Town Board needs to hear Enfield residents speak about their concerns related to hydrofracking in Enfield. This is our opportunity to let the Town Board know that we want a BAN on Hydrofracking in the Town of Enfield and why. If you would like to voice your concerns and want information to help you put your thoughts together, please visit this link on our Resources page:

Learn More About Gas Drilling

It is important that we pack the GYM with Enfield residents during this event, so  your participation is necessary and appreciated. However, if you absolutely cannot attend this Public Comment Session, or if you do not get a chance to speak at it, please send your comments to the Town Supervisor at:

168 Enfield Main Rd., Ithaca, NY

or send e-mail

to rlb15@cornell.edu

 

 

SEE YOU THERE!

 

ENFIELD NEIGHBORS PLAN PETITION

ENSAW's petition to ban high-volume, slick-water, hydraulic fracturing as a method of gas extraction in the Town of Enfield is now underway!  We are actively seeking volunteers to help with this project. Training and canvassing begin this week.   If you would like to be a part of this local action, or know someone who would, please contact us using the "contact us" link at the top of the sidebar on this page or share this post with your friends. We welcome your involvement!

Please watch for and welcome your community members as they canvass the neighborhood seeking your opinions on this issue. Let your voice be heard and help shape your town's policies regarding this industrial process. Shaping the future of our town is our right and responsibility as residents here. ENSAW is happy to provide this opportunity for residents and we welcome your participation.

The NY DEC has just begun to release its revised regulations of drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. This means the clock is now ticking for when permitting and drilling using the new technique of high- volume, slickwater hydraulic fracturing (not used in NY state before) will actually begin. The nature of this process is that it requires heavy industrial development, and drilling multiple wells and well pads in the same area, and is least expensive for the gas company- but not for our communities.

We have a brief window to enact protective ordinances for our town, to prevent or minimize the damage of this new gas extraction process to our public health, air, water, roads, local economy, and peaceful, rural environment. We have seen how this has played out in nearby PA and other areas, and if we make good decisions as a town now, we can protect our community's future.

Dryden and Ulysses are in the process of enacting legislation to ban hydrofracking in their towns after successful petition drives with strong participation by residents. Petition drives are also underway in Caroline and Danby. The Cities of Buffalo and Pittsburgh will not permit the extraction of natural gas using this method. Numerous other towns have enacted moratoriums until the safety of this process can be assured.

THERE IS NO RUSH! The gas has been here for millions of years and can stay here until we find SAFE ways to remove it.

If you would like to help ENSAW help Enfield by participating in the petition drive, please click on the contact link in the sidebar and we'll get back to you ASAP. We welcome your input!

Force Majeure & Lease Termination Issues for Gas Lease Holders

Force Majeure & Lease Termination Issues for Gas Lease Holders
Thursday May 12, 7:00-9:00pm
Dryden Fire Hall, 26 North Street, Dryden, New York 13053

In this FREE presentation, two attorneys will cover issues of force majeure and lease termination, for people who have signed natural gas drilling leases. Presenters will be Chris Denton, an Elmira attorney with extensive experience in gas leasing issues, who works with clients who have received Force Majeure letters from gas companies. Denton will talk about Force Majeure and what to do if you get such a letter from the gas company claiming that lease is extended.

The second presenter is attorney Joe Heath who will talk about lease termination, and what to do to clear your title if your lease has terminated but the gas company has not filed papers with the county clerk clearing your title.

For more information, contact Sharon Anderson at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, (607) 272-2292 or ska2@cornell.edu. Co-sponsored by Fleased and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. Note: some information on Force Majeure and Lease Termination can be found online at: http://fleased.org/

Click here for  Calendar Description & Map

LOCAL EVENT- Landowner's Gas Lease Workshop- May 17th, 7-9 pm

LANDOWNER’S GAS LEASE WORKSHOP

Tuesday May 17, 2011 7 – 9 pm

EXPERT ADVICE on TERMINATING A GAS LEASE
Most gas leases will not terminate automatically at expiration date
unless the landowner takes action.

RESPONDING TO FORCE MAJEURE
Landowners need to respond to Force Majeure letters
being received from gas companies.

JOE HEATH, ESQ. ENVIRONMENTAL ATTORNEY
MIKE BOSETTI , LANDOWNER (TERMINATED LEASE SUCCESSFULLY)
BETSEY LARKIN, Cortland County Clerk

Tuesday May 17, 2011 7 – 9 pm

Cortland County Office Building Auditorium

60 Central Ave., Cortland, NY

Organized by GDACC

(GAS DRILLING AWARENESS FOR CORTLAND COUNTY)

P.O. BOX 5151, CORTLAND, NY 13045

SEE GDACC'S WEBSITE FOR LEASE TERMINATION AND FORCE MAJEURE PACKETS:

http://www.gdacc.wordpress.com/

Co-sponsored by:

Office of the Cortland County Clerk

Cortland County Legislature’s Ag Planning & Environment Committee

Cortland County Farm Bureau

ENSAW EVENT- April 9, 2011

Gas Drilling in Enfield’s Marcellus

Come learn more about this important issue!

Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.

Enfield Grange Enfield Main Road

Free and open to the public

At 2:00

Rural Impact! What to Expect from the Gas Industry and How to Address It

This half hour documentary film explores the impacts of natural gas development in Colorado on communities, the environment and public health. It includes in-depth interviews with county officials, scientists and residents and strives to find a balance between the needs of the environment and the demands of a society reliant on non-renewable energy resources.

At 2:30

Guests from rural northern Pennsylvania Three rural residents from Dimock and Bradford County, PA (Victoria Switzer, Carolyn Knapp, and Carol French) will talk about their personal experiences with gas drilling.  Please welcome them and bring questions.

There will be plenty of time for questions and conversation. 

*** Refreshments will be served ***

Sponsored by Enfield Neighbors for Safe Air and Water (ENSAW)

For more information: Judy Hyman 277-7025 or Nancy Spero 273-6603

 

Click on the link below to print and share a poster for this event! 

Thanks for helping to spread the news.

Disposal Wells: A Solution for Marcellus Waste?

A public presentation May 3, 2010 at the Women’s Community building in Ithaca featuring:
* Dr. Tony Ingraffea, Cornell University , Engineering Department
* Mr. William Kappel, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division
* Rachel Treichler, Esq., Attorney from Hammondsport

Of all the issues with horizontal hydraulic fracking of Marcellus shale, the question of how to dispose of flowback waste created by gas extraction presents the most problems for the industry and for those concerned about environmental protections.

Disposal wells are used in many other places, such as Texas and Ohio , but only one well in New York is currently approved for disposing of gas flowback waste. Two recent well candidates (in Pulteney and in Van Etten) led to public opposition and, at least for now, withdrawal of consideration. In the meantime, it is reported that flowback fluids from Pennsylvania ’s wells are already or will be trucked to Ohio and West Virginia , where they have 150 and 70 disposal wells respectively. Disposal wells in southern New York would be a much more convenient option for the gas industry. The public has many questions about the geology, the regulations, the risks, and the likelihood of disposal wells in our region.

Sponsored by Shaleshock Action Alliance , Community Environmental Defense Council, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County , Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County , Pulteney Pure Water Citizens Committee, Enfield Neighbors for Safe Air and Water, Social Action Committee of Temple Beth-El, NYSESS, and Concerned Citizens of Ulysses.

Drinking Water and Gas Drilling: Dusty Horwitt, JD to Speak in Ithaca

Public Forum: Drinking Water and Gas Drilling: What are the Risks?
Speaker: Dusty Horwitt, JD, of the Environmental Working Group
Introduction by Dr. Steve Penningroth of the Community Science Institute
When: April 18th, 7PM
Where: Unitarian Universalist Church, 306 North Aurora Street, Ithaca, NY 14850-4202
Contact: Lisa Wright thewriterwrites@yahoo.com
Phone: 607.280.6695

In the interest of sharing important information and elevating the conversations about gas drilling in our region, several New York State groups are sponsoring programs featuring Dusty Horwitt, who is Senior Counsel for the Environmental Working Group in Washington, DC. Horwitt is the author of Environmental Working Group's recently published "Drilling Around the Law," a report on drinking water supplies from Pensylvania to Wyoming and how gas drilling has affected them. http://www.ewg.org/drillingaroundthelaw

Horwitt gave powerful testimony to the NYC Council last fall about the effects of gas drilling on drinking water. NYC legislators have taken this message to heart and have taken a strong stance against gas drilling in the NYC watershed. We wish to share his concerns with the public and our upstate legislators. Here is some of what Mr. Horwitt told the NYC Council:

We have reviewed much of [the DEC's DSGEIS] and believe that the state is still not taking seriously the threat that hydraulic fracturing and natural gas drilling poses to New York City’s drinking water. Nor is the state taking seriously the risk of water contamination in other parts of New York. Our analysis confirms our belief that New York State should not allow drilling in the watershed for New York City’s drinking water supply nor should it allow drilling in other areas where drinking water supplies might be compromised.
For Mr. Horwitt's full testimony, see http://www.ewg.org/node/27134

Dr. Steve Penningroth will introduce Mr. Horwitt and address local concerns in regards to water quality and gas drilling. Dr. Penningroth is the Executive Director of the Community Science Institute, a nonprofit organization that includes a certified water quality testing laboratory in Ithaca, New York. Previously Dr. Penningroth was an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and a Senior Lecturer in Toxicology at Cornell University in Ithaca. He recently authored a textbook entitled "Essentials of Toxic Chemical Risk: Science and Society," which is being published by Taylor & Francis this month.

Please join us. All are welcome.

Sponsors: : Social Justice Council of the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, Sustainable Tompkins, Community Environmental Defense Council; Citizens for Healthy Communities; Shaleshock Action Alliance; GDACC (Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County); People for a Healthy Environment, Inc.; Schuyler County Environmental Management Council; NYSESS (New Yorkers for Sustainable Energy Systems Statewide), Marcellus Accountability Project

"The mission of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment."

Gas Drilling In Enfield's Marcellus: The Process and The Law

Enfield Neighbors for Safe Air & Water welcomes two speakers on Monday, March 22^nd at   7:00 p.m. to the Enfield Grange on Enfield Main Road.  The public is invited to a presentation to help Enfield residents and community members better understand the process of natural gas drilling and the legal issues involved.  Please join us as we hear more about how drilling is done, the potential impact on our air and water, lease basics and landowner liability.  There will be plenty of time for questions and conversation.  Refreshments will be served.  

For more information:  Beth McGee, 387-9899 or Nancy Spero, 273-6603

Helen Slottje, Attorney at Law

Helen is an attorney for Community Environmental Defense Council, Inc., a nonprofit environmental law firm based in Ithaca. She is lead attorney on the lawsuit challenging the Village of Horseheads’ finding that there would be no significant environmental impact from a new 88 acre drilling services facility operating right in the town. Helen also works with landowners who are trying to understand their leases, students at Cornell’s Water and Land Clinic, and other community groups trying to protect themselves from the negative impacts of the new drilling practices and volume of wells slated for towns like ours that lie above the Marcellus shale.

Bill Podulka, Ph.D

Co-Director of The Marcellus Accountability Project

Bill is a physicist with a lifelong interest in energy and environmental issues. In 2009, after learning about the impending gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, he and his wife created

TCgasmap.org, a website with an on-line map of Tompkins County gas leases and well-researched information on many different aspects of the gas drilling issue. Dr. Podulka also holds a Masters degree in Secondary Education from Cornell University.

Did you miss this ENSAW event?  You can view video here:

Gas Drilling in Enfield's Marcellus:  The Process and The Law

Gas Drilling In The Marcellus Shale: Impact On Towns and The Environment

On January 27th, ENSAW sponsored a presentation at the Enfield Grange with speakers Prof. Charles Geisler of Cornell and Caroline Town Supervisor, Don Barber, who also chairs the Tompkins County Council of Governments.  50 Enfield residents (plus members of ENSAW) attended.  Several attendees are members of the Enfield Town Board and Enfield Planning Board.  Click below to view video of the event.

Gas Drilling In The Marcellus Shale