Mr. Wynne’s vision

To the editor:

It is strange that Peter Wynne’s “Visioning the Upper Delaware” essay in the December 24 issue does not contain any description of individual and cumulative impacts of any part of the process of shale gas, directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing. How many wells does Mr. Wynne envision as acceptable? How many acres of pristine land does his vision deforest? Does his vision define all land, in all locations, as acceptable to drill? Does his vision find it socially acceptable to alter land use from rural residential, family farming, sport and environmental tourism into one of a thoroughly industrial nature, without discussion, rezoning, adequate regulation and so forth?

Instead of a vision, he has written a missive in defense of his organization, which has leased “more than 70,000 acres” to be cleared, drilled and hydraulically fractured, with gas lines to be laid, compressor stations to be built, accidents to happen, contamination to occur.

His statement that “no one has been more concerned about fracking than the members of the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance” is akin to saying “no one is more concerned about pollution than polluters.” Those who are concerned about the dangers inherent to fracking are still fighting to insure that the industry, and government regulators, clean up their acts to the point where they can guarantee contamination will not occur. They are not signing leases.

I suggest that Mr. Wynne read the recent report completed for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection by Hazen & Sawyer. It says, “Natural gas well development in the… watershed at the rates and densities observed in comparable formations will be accompanied by a level of industrial activity and heightened risk of water quality contamination that is inconsistent with… unfiltered water supply systems. Intensive natural gas well development in the watershed brings an increased level of risk to the water supply.”

Beach Lake, PA

The ‘done deal’ that wasn’t

To the editor:

Two years ago, in a characteristic fit of arrogance, the pro-drillers (hereafter to be referred to as marionettes), declared that the impending onslaught of gas drilling was a done deal. We were told that there was nothing to be done but to join the stampede to lease.

In response to the insane concept of the done deal, a few community members started a resistance movement which grew in size and intensity, and then linked up with other groups all over the United States, and then grew into a national movement that is giving the gas industry and its lackeys a giant headache.

All this activity has put the marionettes and friends into the peculiar position of acting as public relations agents, trying to bring the drillers into the area by pacifying the public. Witness Peter Wynne’s desperate fairy tale portraying gas drilling as a potentially healthful activity, resulting in an abundance of purified water.

Let’s put aside the marionette-sponsored science fiction and deal with the facts, such as the latest determination by New York City that gas drilling poses a catastrophic risk. The bottom line is that gas production will not just contaminate our air and water; it will poison you.

Now, people all over the country are waking up and taking appropriate actions in order to stop a few landowners from selling our future in exchange for a temporary surge of cash in their pockets.

Conservation easements

To the editor:

Sullivan County’s recent economic development charrette provided our residents, professionals and business owners with a chance to come together and discuss the county’s future. We applaud the Sullivan County Division of Planning and Environmental Management, the partner organizations, and the charrette attendees for this opportunity to engage in open dialogue on ways to revitalize our county, while protecting and defining our unique character. It is important that we maintain the energy and ambition generated from the charrette, and continue to build off the suggestions offered from the group discussions.

One important topic of discussion was the protection of our natural assets and their direct connection to the economic and environmental health of Sullivan County. A number of groups discussed conservation easements as an important tool for conserving our rural beauty and working landscapes.

A conservation easement, also called a land preservation agreement, is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust, such as the Delaware Highlands Conservancy. It permanently protects the important conservation values of a property, usually by limiting future development, although other restrictions may be included. Every agreement is unique and tailored to the landowner’s goals and the property’s characteristics. The landowner continues to own and manage the land, subject to the restrictions in the agreement. The land does not need to be open to public access. Each subsequent landowner is bound by the same terms that the original landowner put in place.

Since 1994, the Delaware Highlands Conservancy has protected over 12,000 acres in the Upper Delaware River region using conservation easements. We would like to let you know that we are available as a resource, and invite you to contact us if you would like more information about ways to conserve our scenic vistas, working farms and forests, wildlife habitat and water resources. Call us at 845/807-0535 or 570/226-3164, email us at info@delawarehighlands.org or visit www.delawarehighlands.org.