It’s all about who has the deeper pockets

To the editor:

If anyone thought that getting money from the gas drilling companies was going to be a cakewalk, those notions were quickly dispelled at last Wednesday’s supposed informational meeting at the middle school in Honesdale. By and large, the speakers, with the exception of representatives from the Damascus Citizens and Catskill Mountainkeeper, rolled out seemingly simple solutions to dealing with any problems encountered with the drillers. We heard from a National Park Service hydrologist about how large storage tanks at well sights could be painted in pleasing shades of green to make them disappear. The same expert likened the extensive list of chemical ingredients in fracking fluid to a secret recipe like “a recipe for apple pie,” while a member of the audience with the list of those chemicals was quickly shut down from speaking them because he wasn’t on the list of presenters.

A lawyer, whose bread and butter is negotiating leases for landowners, didn’t have the time to elaborate on all the problems you’d encounter but made sure we were aware of the need for a lawyer’s services when dealing with gas companies, a point he underscored by handing out dozens of business cards afterward.

Any problems one might encounter were given short shrift by a representative from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Preservation, who assured us that the gas companies would take care of it. What he didn’t spend any time on was the fact that payment is suspended while those problems are reviewed, a process the companies could drag out indefinitely. All in all, it wasn’t hard to read between the lines of the not-so-powerful point presentation that parting the gas companies from their money is not going to be easy; it’s going to come down to who has the deeper pockets.

Open letter to Aileen Gunther and John Bonacic

To the editor:

I have lived for 19 years in Cochecton, NY, which is in your district. Last week, I returned from a six-week vacation to find that the issue of gas drilling in my area, little more than a whisper when I left the country, has exploded with such intensity that it now seems like a done deal. Why do I feel like I was away for six years, not weeks?

There has barely been time for local individuals like myself to educate themselves, let alone organize in groups to mount a viable opposition if gas drilling is determined to be a threat. I have been trying to catch up on the information I need to make an informed assessment of gas drilling and its impact, but there doesn’t seem to be enough time.

What I have learned so far convinces me that there is serious reason to believe that gas drilling may be a threat. But many neighbors who stood together against the NYRI power line on the river now may sell each other down that river if the price is right. Those of us who suspect that gas drilling is not benign must turn to you for support.

I am informed that you are considering a bill, A10526, which would determine drilling rights and compensation for landowners. But there are citizens who don’t want to lease their land out of environmental concern but will be affected against their will, and others who don’t own any or enough property but may be adversely affected by the actions of their neighbors. There is no pressing energy emergency that compels such precipitous action by the government to permit drilling. Please stop and take a deep breath. If Sullivan County suffers because our representatives have not given gas drilling proper and timely consideration, we will know whom to blame. I urge you to put the brakes on all action on gas drilling until those concerned have time to learn about the issues, consider their options, and possibly vote in a referendum or in an election for those who will best represent their views. This may be the greatest threat to our beautiful landscape ever.

(Editor’s note: Rubin received a reply from Aileen Gunther saying she shared his concerns, that members of the assembly will be meeting to learn more and discuss their concerns, and that it is unlikely the bill in question will be voted on in the current session.)

The power of no

To the editor:

In cross-referencing the May 15 editorial “Giving Away the Store” with “The state on gas drilling” by Tom Kane in your May 15 issue, another question arises: If the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has the power to stop gas drilling when threatening situations result (as documented in the Allegheny National Forest and also in Hickory, PA), why aren’t they using it? And if habitat fragmentation, as well as water pollution, is not enough for the Department of Environmental Protection to put a moratorium on gas drilling operations in Pennsylvania, then what is?

Ramona Jan

Support burning ban

To the editor:

I am compelled to respond to the letter in today’s issue from Ms. Hulse of Lake Huntington, asking your readers to object to the proposed ban on all backyard burning, “Hello, is there anybody in there?” Not only is reckless burning the cause of many wildfires and losses of homes, but it is a source of constant air pollution. It is a shame that we stay stuck in our old habits, regardless of evidence that these habits are bad for pretty much everything. Email Mr. Stanton at 215fires@gw.dec.state.ny.us, and support the ban on all backyard burning. Take a stand for the environment (what’s left of it) and the future (ditto).

Mountaindale, NY

Politically incorrect

To the editor:

I’ve generally enjoyed reflections on the past, as presented by The River Reporter’s “Did You Know,” columnist, Grace Johansen. But her entry in the May 15 issue pushed my buttons when she elected to submit a historical postcard of Fort Delaware with a quoted description of the Mohawks as being “savage.” By her ill choice of politically inappropriate and offensive material, it leads me to believe that she studied from history text books similar to mine, that is from some 50 years ago or more. Why resurrect damaging language, when she could have safely paraphrased the quoted description?

Ms. Johansen must try, if possible, to imagine wearing the other shoe or moccasin in this case. After all, upon whose soil did her descendants settle? I doubt if it was amicably donated land. She should think how she would react today if weapon-toting men shot down her front door, entered, took over her home and sent her with few belongings and precious possessions running for the hills. I wonder what her reaction is to how the Haitians literally sent invading French occupiers running from their land. Would the landowners be considered “savage?” Nonetheless, ruthless invasion still goes on abroad, camouflaged, as usual, as some other distracting alibi. There’s nothing pleasant about looking down the barrel of a gun, and people have rights to keep what is initially theirs without unwelcome invasions.

My half-Cherokee grandmother once told me of how she hated going to the government school run by holier-than-thou missionaries, who tried to force her into bleaching her skin. Would Ms. Johansen not describe that as being “savage?” Basically, the columnist should have used tact. It is not difficult to understand why employers today are increasingly engaging staff in required sensitivity training to suppress/eliminate biases and become politically correct.