Clearing Up the Onion A Little

I got an e-mail yesterday from a District 11 resident, asking if I'd summarize my position on hydrofracking clearly. That's not the only request I've gotten on this issue; sometimes when I get a little too wordy, my fundamental position gets obscured. On the other hand, a lot can be lost when a complex issue is boiled down to a short sentence. So let's see if I can be clear without losing some of the important bits. Here's my reply:

I am completely against having any methane drilling - any hydrofracking - occurring in Otsego County.  There is no question that the potential dangers are real, and that they (the dangers) have come to fruition in other areas where hydrofracking has gone forward.  There is a high probability that our water, our roads and our way of life will be damaged beyond repair.  We (both the citizens and the legislators of various municipalities) would be irresponsible if we did not oppose this kind of environmental damage in our county.  I am amazed at the fact that there doesn't seem to be anyone presenting evidence that the opposite is true.

Two things stand out for me, in this issue.  One is that we are not sure, at this point, whether Town Boards, the City Council here in Oneonta, or the County Board, will have any authority to ban or regulate hydrofracking.  I feel strongly that we should have that authority, and that our efforts should be focused in that direction.  The anti-hydrofracking community has done the citizen and legislative education, raised awareness, and built networks.  All this needs to be mobilized in the service of bringing the authority to ban and regulate back to the local municipalities.  Sometimes, a locality needs to sacrifice a little for the good of the wider community - siting of prisons, dumps, wind turbines, etc. - and some localities get lucky - parks, schools, transport - since these things are necessary.  Hydrofracking is not necessary, and no locality in New York State should be required to 'take a hit for the team,' just because there are those who predict that jobs will be created.  We should be able to say 'No.'

The other issue is:  If we win, we are leaving a large amount of (relatively) clean energy in the ground.  We need to make up for that, with alternative energy eventually, but conservation now.  How can we, in Otsego County, after successfully opposing the use of a large methane reserve, help make that reserve unnecessary?  What if we all spent the next year working at reducing our fossil fuel usage by 10%?  It's the right thing to do.

I do have clear and strong opinions on many issues, but as you can see, I get interested in the pieces that make up the puzzle, and sometimes led astray from the simple conclusion.  I hope I've been a little clearer than I have in the past. 

Thanks again for the conversation -