From Catskill Mountainkeeper:
President Obama has personally entered the dialogue about natural gas extraction by recently declaring, “We’ve got, I think, broad agreement that we’ve got terrific natural gas resources . . . are we doing everything we can to develop those?”
While we recognize that the United States, especially the Marcellus Shale, have plentiful reserves of natural gas and we clearly understand the interest in developing these reserves, we and our grassroots colleagues are enormously concerned about the idea of fast tracking natural gas exploration and the risks such actions will bring.
There is abundant scientific and empirical evidence that extracting natural gas utilizing High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking) poses significant risk to our water, air and human and animal health. Catskill Mountainkeeper has maintained for more than two years that there can be no drilling using fracking in New York State until it has been proven to be safe – - and as of this time it is not safe. Instead we keep uncovering more science and more reports that underscore the magnitude of the risks for all New Yorkers. Disasters rivaling the recent BP crisis in the Gulf of Mexico are possible.
It is urgently important that President Obama understand that YOU don’t want natural gas extraction fast tracked and that you don’t want fracking to start until the current EPA study is completed, the science it has to share is known and New York State clearly demonstrates that it has the ability to safely manage drilling by implementing the most stringent standards, regulations, inspection plans and enforcement capabilities.
We have prepared a letter to President Obama for you to send as is or to modify as you see fit. The gas drilling battle is entering a new and even more critical stage. Please take just a few minutes now to write the President. We have clearly proven that when enough of us take action our leaders stop and listen.
Read the full text (below) of a letter sent to President Obama by Catskill Mountainkeeper and Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, which spells out the issue in detail.
Take Action!
Click Here to send an email to President Obama. It is quick and easy – use our language or write your own. Or send your message to president@whitehouse.gov directly from your desktop.
Our best hope for averting potential catastrophe lies in educating the President, government officials and citizens about the real dangers of drilling for natural gas using fracking.
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