Dateline: 1 February 2012
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| My copy of the Association of Towns article. |
The Association of Towns of the State of New York is an organization that helps municipalities in our state to properly deal with the many different legal issues that they face. The town of Sempronius, like most every other municipality in New York, pays yearly dues of several hundred dollars to the Association of Towns. Part of what we get for our (your) money is a bimonthly magazine called, Talk of the Towns. The informative publication is mailed to every member of our town board.
The November/December 2011 issue of Talk of the Towns arrived several days before the Sempronius Town Board’s December meeting. It so happened that issue had two articles about hydrofracking. One was titled, Navigating Hydrofracking in New York: The Importance of Local Government Involvement. The other article was, Communities, Water Sources and Potential Impacts of Shale Gas Development.
After the 63-signature petition for a moratorium was presented to the town board at the December meeting, I mentioned the Talk of the Towns articles and asked if anyone else on the board had read them. No other board member had read the articles.
I recommended that they do so and I read four short excerpts (out of six pages). Here is what I read to the board and the people in attendance at that meeting (highlighted emphasis is mine)...
“It is important to note that the science is still evolving on High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF), particularly in New York State, where geological and other environmental factors may differ from other areas of the country where hydrofracking has been undertaken and impacts documented. Local municipalities need to be actively involved in the regulatory process and be aware of potential impacts related to water supply, wastewater disposal, transportation infrastructure, zoning, economy and emergency services.”
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The American Water Works Association, the largest organization of water supply professionals in the world recently published an article in its July 2011 Opfow magazine in which Paul R. Easley, environmental manager for the Fort Smith, Arkansas Utility cautions, “Communities stand to benefit enormously from profits associated with natural gas exploration. However, the wealth may come at the cost of one of the most precious commodities on earth—clean, safe drinking water.”
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“Mountain Lake Park, [Maryland], Mayor Leo Martin [says], “It’s our responsibility as local leaders to protect the health and safety of our residents. We see the devastation from hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania ... and we don’t want it here.”
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A moratorium can provide time to examine the issues. Many city and county governments have used moratoria as a way to pause gas development activities. This allows time to review options ... [and] gather citizen input.”
The New York State Association of Towns has not yet taken an official position for or against hydrofracking, but the unmistakably clear message from that organization to the town of Sempronius is that hydrofracking is a very serious issue because it may create very serious problems for the town and those who live in the town. They make it clear that towns should not ignore hydrofracking— they need to be proactive in addressing the matter.
The Talk of the Town articles were instrumental in my decision at that December board meeting to make a motion that the Town of Sempronius enact a moratorium on hydrofracking. My decision was not rash (as one person at the meeting said in speaking to the board). My decision was informed by an organization that the Town of Sempronius pays to advise us.
The board was not willing to proceed with a moratorium vote and I did not make the motion. Instead, I made a motion that we hold a public meeting on January 23, and that was passed (click here to read about the meeting). The outcome of the January 23 meeting was that a clear majority of Sempronius residents spoke in favor of a hydrofracking moratorium.
The next town board meeting is February 20, at 7:00 pm, at the town offices. Will the board address the issue of a hydrofracking moratorium at that time?
I hope so.
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If you would like to read the articles that were in the Talk of the Towns magazine, just drop me an e-mail at hckimball@bci.net and I will e-mail you a pdf version.