Do we really want protectionism?

To the editor:

U.S. oil companies are involved in oil and gas production with leases in many foreign countries around the world. Could you imagine what would happen to us if we prohibited foreign companies that are friendly to America, and listed on the NYSE, from having leases in the U.S.? Like it or not, all of us depend on foreign oil and our oil companies having access to produce it. We need to produce more energy in America and the Marcellus is vital for our future and to reduce our dependence on foreign oil!

We are transferring our wealth to other nations and we are in big trouble. Iran is using compressed natural gas (CNG) for most of their cars and trucks because they want to sell their oil to other countries. CNG is a clean, cheap, and an abundant fuel that performs great in gasoline and diesel engines. The emissions are less than 50 percent with less CO2 and the fuel cost is about 50 percent less. When the economy improves, demand for oil will increase and supply will not meet demand. We will look back at $4 gasoline and realize just how cheap it was. Other energy sources must be developed, but we must be realistic because they will take time. Natural gas is the bridge fuel, with more than 150 years of supply that is critical for the transition.

We must be fair to other nations if we want them to be fair with us. So let’s be careful and not pass protectionist laws that will actually harm us in the end. We have a global economy and now a global recession that could turn into a global depression. Now is not the time to restrict investment and energy production that creates jobs and revenue for our area and America. The Marcellus is a resource that we need right now.

Court should not have accepted plea

To the editor:

It’s amazing that the court would accept Mr. Naughton’s plea regarding the shooting of Lori Schubeler (see “Naughton pleads guilty,” January 22). We all make mistakes and should learn from them, but this is not just a mistake, this is complete negligence and total irresponsibility. Why is he handling a firearm with alcohol in his system? In my training as a firefighter, my instructor stressed over and over and over to never, ever, respond to an alarm if your lips have touched a sip of alcohol.

So, are we all allowed to drink and handle firearms under the influence? Is this what we want to relay to our youth? What an example this makes. In contrast, what is to become of Mr. Morris, a victim of a disease that totally engulfed his whole being and life, not to mention his wife?

Wake up, America.

Too many exemptions

To the editor:

I read with great interest the editorial comment by Ira Cohen in reference to the exemption being provided to the Gurdjieff Foundation by the Town of Tusten supervisor and town board. I could not agree more with Mr. Cohen’s point of view. Every time an exemption is given to any organization, the people of the community have to pay the difference. In this case, we are paying their share of the county and Sullivan West School taxes. This is ridiculous in an area that is already overtaxed considering the lack of services that we receive.

We have to stand up to the pseudo-educational and

religious organizations that are costing us money and providing no benefit to the communities in which they are located. Sullivan County desperately needs to get all of these organizations on the tax roll. Our towns should be assisting them, not standing in their way. Our supervisor, town board and town attorney should be working for all of the residents of the township and for the greater good of the whole county. This does not seem to be the case in this situation. The people need to speak up and let our elected officials know that these kind of backdoor deals need to stop now!

Dear Dr. Michel:

On behalf of the Bethel Town Board, we strongly object to any attempt by the Monticello Central School District to close the Dr. Duggan Elementary School. We are committed and open to any ideas and efforts to keep this school open.

The Duggan School has been an essential part of our community, our education and quality of life since 1951. We all know budgets are hard and almost impossible, but let’s not solve our budget issues at the expense of our community values and our youth.

The town has had steady and consistent growth over the last several years and we are confident that this trend will continue. We have Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and the Museum at Bethel Woods. We have had extensive revitalization and public and private investment in our town. Since the 2000 Census, Bethel is still one of the fastest growing towns in New York State, our population grew by 18 percent. Despite this tough economy, we are expecting continued residential and commercial growth with our new sewer extension on 17B.

The town board will do anything we can to keep Duggan School open. Since 1951, in good times and bad, this school has remained open and in 2009 we can expect no less.

Let’s work together to solve this issue, as letting this school close will be devastating to our town’s economy and well-being.

We look forward to working with the district.

Very truly yours,

(The above letter was sent by Daniel Sturm to district Superintendent Patrick Michel with cc’s to a wide variety of local and state officials, including New York State Senator John Bonacic and assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and to local newspapers.)

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) was created to protect the Delaware River system. It consists of four states (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware) and one Federal official. What the DRBC has done over the past 10 years is to destroy one of the best natural resources in the East: the Upper Delaware River.

All the best trout streams in the U.S. are tailwaters (like the Upper Delaware) and the streams are used to promote the economy of each area by improving the water flows/trout fishing. With the lack of water flow in the Upper Delaware, the DRBC has done just the opposite. No water, no trout, no trout fishermen, no money.

We need to update the Flexible Flow Management Plan (FFMP) to change this. If the DRBC can’t control the releases from the New York City dams, there is no reason for them to exist. If they can control the New York City water, then they have not done their job.

This is just another example of a bureaucracy getting little or nothing done, while spending the people’s money. I hope they can do a better job with the Marcellus Shale problem.

The bottom line is: with the lack of cold water releases from the Upper Delaware River dams, the DRBC has destroyed the economy and this great natural resource.

CARI clarifies

To the editor:

Communities Against Regional Interconnect (CARI), a coalition of seven counties and five citizens’ groups formed to oppose the environmental and economic degradation caused by the proposed New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) transmission line, is completely opposed to the NYRI project in any form.

In November 2008, CARI was required to present NYRI route alternatives before the Public Service Commission. This aspect of the Article VII process is designed to allow stakeholders that could be affected by an alternative route enough time to become an active party and participate in public statement hearings. CARI proposed two buried underground route alternatives, one to be placed along the centerline of the existing Marcy South Line and the second alternative to run along the side of the New York State Thruway.

Physical route alternatives are not the only alternatives that CARI proposed. Demand-side management options such as increasing energy efficiency standards and weatherization programs can eliminate the need for NYRI and cost 50 percent less than building and maintaining a project like NYRI.

CARI felt it was important to offer route and non-route alternatives for the purpose of evaluating any reasonable alternative and including it in the Public Service Commission record, to best protect our communities in the likely event of intervention by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). If every possible alternative is part of the record, FERC will have less justification to overrule the state’s decision in the case. CARI’s goal is to defeat NYRI, not push the NYRI project on to neighboring communities.

In summary, CARI believes the application should be denied at both the state and federal level. We welcome the citizens and leaders of any county affected by the NYRI project to join CARI and help protect the land and communities we all value so dearly. Please visit www.caricoalition.org for more information.

Steve DiMeo, chairperson