#fracking moratorium

[ecowatchorg]

Major Scientific Document Shows Why NY Fracking Moratorium Is Imperative

Less than two weeks ago, local communities triumphed over the fracking industry in a precedent-setting case decided by the New York Court of Appeals.

SEE MORE:

http://ecowatch.com/2014/07/10/major-scientific-document-ny-fracking-moratorium-imperative/

[rjzimmerman]

The linked article is the story, including the history of the community fighting fracking, with a lot of photos. This is the story of the recent decision of the New York Court of Appeals, taken from Earthjustice:

Today, New York’s highest court handed down a landmark decision, ruling that New York communities have the right to keep fracking out of their borders.

This is a huge victory for the 170+ towns in New York that have passed bans or moratoriums on fracking—and the dozens more New York communities that have been waiting for this court decision before passing bans of their own. It’s a victory for communities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Texas, and California and everywhere else where people are fighting at the local level to protect themselves from fracking. And it’s a victory for anyone who’s ever felt bullied by the oil and gas industry.

Earthjustice Managing Attorney Deborah Goldberg represented the town of Dryden (population 14,5000) on appeal, after Anschutz Exploration Corporation, owned by Forbes-ranked Phillip Anschutz (net worth: $7.5 billion), unsuccessfully sued the town.

After hearing the news, Deborah told reporters:

 "This decision by the Court of Appeals has settled the matter once and for all across New York State and has sent a firm message to the oil and gas industry. For too long the oil and gas industry has intimidated and abused people, expecting to get away with it. That behavior is finally coming back to haunt them, as communities across the country stand up and say 'no more.'"

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt:

"As the U.S. oil-and-gas boom rolls into its second decade, a new idea is starting to resonate with regulators and communities: Certain places should simply be off-limits to drilling.

"That is not how it has worked up until now. Over the past decade, oil and gas wells have been drilled for hydraulic fracturing in suburban subdivisions, airports, public parks and golf courses. As long as energy companies leased the mineral rights, they could drill almost anywhere.

"Now this all-or-nothing approach is starting to weaken as the fracking juggernaut, which has created jobs and lowered the U.S. trade deficit, has left some communities feeling trampled."

[rjzimmerman]