Hinchey, Casey introduce fracking law

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-C), Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) and U.S. Senator Bob Casey on June 9 introduced legislation in the House of Representatives and the Senate to protect drinking water supplies from what they called harmful chemicals often used in natural gas drilling. The Fracking Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (FRAC) would close a loophole created in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which Hinchey voted against, that exempted hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act. The FRAC Act would also require the oil and gas industry to disclose the chemicals they use in their hydraulic fracturing processes. Currently, the oil and gas industry is the only industry granted an exemption from complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act.

“It’s time to fix an unfortunate chapter in the Bush administration’s energy policy and close the ‘Halliburton loophole’ that has enabled energy companies to pump enormous amounts of toxins, such as benzene and toluene, into the ground that then jeopardize the quality of our drinking water,” said Hinchey.

Narrowsburg water district gets clean certificate of health

NARROWSBURG, NY — To comply with state regulations, the Narrowsburg Water District issues an annual report describing the quality of the district’s drinking water.

This year’s report shows that the water provided by the Narrowsburg Water District meets or exceeds established water-quality standards and does not violate a maximum contaminant level or any other water quality standard. About 800 people were served through 300 connections. Contaminants tested included total coliform, lead and copper, volatile organic compounds and radiological and synthetic organic compounds.

To learn more and participate in the community’s decisions affecting its drinking water, the public can attend the regularly scheduled Town of Tusten board meetings, which are on the third Monday of every month at the Tusten Town Hall, starting at 7:00 p.m.

For more information call 845/252-7376.

Sullivan BOCES will not merge

LIBERTY, NY — New York State Education Commissioner, Richard Mills, announced on June 9 that Sullivan BOCES will not merge Orange-Ulster BOCES, and the two institutions will remain separate entities.

As a result of this decision, the Sullivan County BOCES will now be able to move forward with a search for a new District Superintendent.

“We are extremely pleased with the Commissioner’s decision and plan to utilize our ‘new life’ to expand and enhance services to our students and our component districts,” said Anthony Micha, Sullivan County BOCES interim district superintendent. “At this point, we are excited to be focusing on the future of our BOCES and we will continue to identify new and better ways to serve our students and our district.”

Chambers launch energy-buying pool

WAYNE COUNTY, PA — The Southern Wayne, Hawley-Lake Wallenpaupack and Wayne County chambers of commerce are pursuing the possibility of enlisting the services of OnDemand Energy to create a members-only energy aggregated buying pool. The pool would buy electricity in bulk for a fixed time period as a way to lock in a lower price for businesses that are chamber members and participating in the pool.

The Southern Wayne (570/689-4199), Hawley-Lake Wallenpaupack (570/226-3191) and Wayne County (570/253-1960) chambers of commerce will host three informational meeting dates with OnDemand Energy. They will be on Monday, June 15 at the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Community Room, 32 Commercial Street in Honesdale, at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m; Tuesday, June 16 at Gresham’s Chop House, Route 6, Hawley at 11:00 a.m.; and Tuesday, June 16 at Bennoco’s Beef and Brew, Route 590, Hamlin at 4:00 pm.

These meetings are free and open to the public, but interested businesses must call the chambers to register.

Library design accepted unanimously

PIKE COUNTY, PA — The Milford Borough Council unanimously voted to accept the recommendation of the Milford Architectural Review Board (ARB) for approval of the conceptual design for the Pike County Public Library’s (PCPL) new headquarters. PCPL will return to the ARB for separate approval of its sign, as well as of any changes to the design that may be made as the remaining permits are obtained. The plans, along with the PCPL’s application to the ARB, may be found at www.pcpl.org.

Borough council member Ed Raarup said, “This was a thorough process that involved many members of the community working together and compromising to achieve a common goal.”

PCPL board member Rebecca Lindsey said, “We are extremely grateful to our architect, Fred Schwartz, the borough’s architectural consultant, Peter Benton, and the ARB and borough council for helping us to get to this point…. This is a facility that we have long needed as the first step in expanding county-wide library services; thanks to this decision, we now have confidence that it will become a reality very soon.”

Sullivan to seek funds for clean energy

MONTICELLO, NY — Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Jonathan F. Rouis announced that the county intends to seek millions of dollars in state and federal grants to fund clean energy initiatives in Sullivan County.

In reaction to a speech by Governor David Paterson, Rouis said, “The Governor’s announcement of his intention to spend $100 million dollars to form an Innovation Economy Matching Grants Program has the ability to alter the economic development landscape in Sullivan County, while also allowing us to continue with our Green Visioning Statement and focus on smart, sustainable development.