Exxon ruling a lesson for our area

To the editor:

The questions posed in The River Reporter’s editorial of June 26, “Just trust us,” are important and timely in light of a recent article by Greg Palast, “Court Rewards Exxon for Valdez Spill” (Chicago Tribune) which can be read in full at www.gregpalast.com. It states that the Supreme Court recently ruled to reduce Exxon’s liability by 90 percent in the Exxon Valdez oil spill that ruined over a thousand miles of Alaska coastline 20 years ago. The damages awarded by a jury to the people who depend on that coastline were cut from $5 billion to half a billion by the court, and the people affected (those who are still living) are yet to be paid.

The article shows a history of promises, betrayal and deceit, even as oaths were taken before Congress to protect the native fishing and hunting grounds from oil. According to Palast, to win the right to ship oil from the Valdez Port, Exxon even agreed to place a specific list of safeguards into federal law.

There is a familiar ring to the Exxon Valdez story as our community struggles to evaluate the lures of gas drilling in our region.

The history of that environmental disaster and the subsequent court ruling serves as a reminder that trust in agreements between corporations and communities cannot be depended on when large sums of money are at stake.

Daria Dorosh

Barryville, NY

Local government takes up

the reins on gas drilling

To the editor:

It was a shame that attendance was so poor at the June 24 meeting of the town board of Tusten. This was a continuation of this month’s regular meeting, for the primary purpose of allowing the board to discuss whether to put a moratorium on gas drilling, similar to the action taken by the town of Highland on the same evening.

I was impressed by the questions raised by every member of the board, which included concerns about our emergency management plans, about infrastructure, especially roads, about whether trucks containing hazardous waste will be identified as such and about the impact on our firefighters. Questions seemed to generate more questions and the need for time to consider potential negative impact was clear.

As there appeared to be no downside to a six-month moratorium, the board agreed to put this before the public. I thought the board shown real concern, and a willingness to tackle a very tough issue.

I’m tremendously disappointed that our governor and state legislature have passed legislation that appears to loosen regulations when they desperately need to be strengthened. Money talks. And I appreciate Aileen Gunther for voting against that bill. It will be interesting to see if those who do not live above the Marcellus shale deposit, but stand to profit from it, will get to set the regulations that will be our only protection against the environmental destruction that has happened everywhere that this type of drilling has occurred.

Susan Sullivan

Narrowsburg, NY

Gas future, a present from the past

To the editor:

The driver glanced up at the looming overhead road sign indicating he should bear left toward Future and right toward Past, chuckling to himself at the politics of the wording. Straining his vision to penetrate the low-hanging local haze, he glimpsed in the distance a clear blue sky, sun gleaming off electric rooftops, spinning wind turbines on a distant ridge, a green, smiling

landscape. Caught in reverie, he suddenly realized he had missed the turnoff and had taken the right fork. Stopped at a tollbooth, he received a ticket marked “Payment Ahead.”

The passenger and back seat neighbors were in turmoil. “Where are you going! We’re in an exit ramp going round about and back in the direction we came from!”

“Quit complaining”, he snapped. “I know what I’m doing.” He had almost convinced himself of that when the road narrowed to a one-lane, potholed path with no turnaround. In ditches ran oily-black ooze. Smoke and diesel fumes filled the air. Yellowed trees lined mostly clear-cut access roads, rutted, muddy brown. Line after line of drilling rigs clutched the gray sky, near refineries, pumps and open pits of steaming slime. Vehicles crowded the shoulders, squeezing him between tractor-trailers, water tankers, chemical tankers, flat beds, backhoes and SUVs. The noise from the motors was deafening.

This was not the route he planned. As he sought a way out, packs of suited men with briefcases hurried toward him waiving documents in his face. He panicked and veered off the side, finally lurching to a stop in a dismal swamp of quicksand. Around him floated festering corpses and empty drums with taped-over labels reading “Poison.”

As the vehicle slowly sank in the toxic mire, the passengers choked up a pained lament. “We didn’t have to go this way!” The driver sighed a final plea, “I went the old way but now it’s a dead end.”

Allan Rubin

Cochecton, NY

What do we do with the trees?

To the editor:

I don’t know who came up with the idea to ban open burning in small towns in New York State, but I can only assume it is someone who has never lived in a town without brush pickup.

Over the years we have had trees come down in windstorms and trees that were diseased and had to be cut down. Most of the wood that we could burn in our wood stove was used and we gave more to people that wanted the wood for bonfires for the 4th of July.

We just had a 20-year-old cherry tree die, and we are in the process of cutting it down and using as much as we can in our fire pit, and the rest we burn in a burn pile on our property.

Our town does not have the money for brush pickup for the whole town. What are people supposed to do to get rid of excess brush and trees? We also burn papers so that we don’t have to take them to the landfill to add to the many landfills in this state.

I hope that the Department of Environmental Conservation rethinks this idea, because it does not make any sense.

M. Reynolds

Livonia, NY

Unfair, unbalanced

To the editor:

Fox News has been known for its right-wing slant, but this is pure muckraking at the lowest level. Remarks reported on Fox like “terrorist fist jab,” Obama’s “Baby’s Mama” (which is a slap in the face to every woman and black person) and Brit Hume’s so-called verbatim statement of Obama’s brother saying “Barack would make a good president despite his Muslim background,” are all trash. I listened to that interview and that was never said, because Obama was never a Muslim. Remarks like these diminish us as knowledgeable citizens because we have a so-called “fair and balanced” news network that is not interested in the issues, but is interested in advancing a point of view using whatever lies, innuendo or rumor it can.

The Federal Communications Commission should pull Fox’s license to operate over our public airways. Citizens deserve the truth and honest straightforward reporting, not this yellow journalism full of untruths and flat-out lies. This particular time of our country is too important for such things. I certainly don’t see Fox reporting on John McCain’s saying “I didn’t really love America until I was deprived of her company.” He didn’t really love his country. Hmmmmmm. (Please Google it before you say he never said that). I guess John is in the right (pun-intended) political party. Brit Hume, Sean Hannity, all of you at Fox—be real journalists and stop being the mouthpieces for Fox News Network.

Cheryl R. Glenn

Dingmans Ferry, PA

Paterson is out of line

To the editor:

In a government of, by and for the people, it is sometimes necessary to remind (educate?) elected officials of their responsibilities and vested (fully and unconditionally guaranteed as a legal right, or privilege) powers. Separation of powers is power divided among government bodies as a precaution against tyranny. The legislature is an elected body vested with the responsibility and power to make laws. The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the laws; the executive is responsible for implementing, supporting and enforcing the laws.

There are lawsuits in progress to remind Governor Paterson he does not have the vested power to rule on “same sex marriage” by fiat (authoritative command to do something). To declare “let it be so” is not his prerogative (a special right, or privilege). There are bills in the New York State Legislature (S5884—ability to marry; S5994—marriage license may not be denied on the grounds that the parties are of the same sex; A8590—ability to marry) that will or will not become law depending upon a majority vote. Then the courts may interpret and the governor enforce. Duh. (used to express actual or feigned ignorance or stupidity).

Robert J. Paquet

Callicoon Center, NY