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Two Educational Forums Co-Sponsored by
Catskill Mountainkeeper
with experts from the Sullivan County Division of Planning and Environmental Management, Oil and Gas Accountability Project as well as experts on law and community organizing
CVI Building, Liberty, New York
Please note due to the expected turnout, registration is necessary for the event in Liberty. Please contact 845-794-3000 x5028 by Wednesday to make your reservation!
June 26, 2008
7:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Walton Theatre, Walton, New York
June 27, 2008
7:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
The pace of gas drilling in New York State and its potential in the Upper Delaware Region has many property owners and municipal officials asking questions about the impacts of drilling on the environment, how gas leases should be written to protect the interests of property owners, and what regulations and land use approaches are available to protect the health and safety of local residents. The purpose of this educational forum is to cover these issues and offer case examples.
Panelists Include:
Bruce Baizel, Staff Attorney for the Earthworks Oil & Gas Accountability Project (OGAP). Bruce comes to Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project from Dine CARE, a Navajo action group and Round River Conservation Studies, he staffed and represented for eleven years. Bruce received his law degree in 1986 from the University of Denver, College of Law, and has a BA in Biology and a Masters in International Relations. Bruce is the author of significant natural gas regulation bills that have passed in both New Mexico and Colorado to safeguard the environmental health of the communities. The Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project is the only organization in the United States with the sole mission of working with communities to protect their homes and the environment from the impacts of oil and gas development.
Jill Morrison, Organizer, Powder River Basin Resource Council – Sheridan, WY. Jill Morrison unites ranchers, public officials and conservationists to address industrial impacts to land, water and tradition. She is the 2004 winner of the Leadership for Change Award and she was featured on PBS’s Now with Bill Moyers. The mission of the Powder River Basin Resource Council is to promote land stewardship and responsible development in Wyoming. Rural people rely on the Council for an array of hard-to-find information, including examples of recently negotiated energy-company agreements, as well as facts and figures on the real costs of methane development.
Peggy Utesch, Member, Western Colorado Congress and the Grand Valley Citizens’ Alliance. Ms. Utesch is a writer and graphic designer from New Castle, CO, and member of the Western Colorado Congress and the Grand Valley Citizens’ Alliance. Peggy’s work on the gas drilling issue in Western Colorado has brought citizens, municipalities and gas companies together to look at the long-term impacts that will result from an intense level of projected development – more than 20,000 wells – and seek solutions that benefit both industry and residents. The result was a Community Development Plan that aims to protect landowners while reducing conflict with the gas industry.
Robert Wedlake, JD, Partner, Hinman, Howard & Kattell, LLP, Binghamton, New York. Robert Wedlake received his JD Law Degree in 1977 from the State University of New York at Buffalo. From 1978 to 1995 he worked at the Binghamton Law Firm of Kramer, Wales & McAvoy. In 1996 Mr. Wedlake became of member of Hinman, Howard & Kattell, LLP in Binghamton, New York and has been a partner with that firm for the past 7 years. Mr. Wedlake is the past President of the Broome County Bar Association and is currently a member of the Broome County Bar Association Real Property Committee. Mr. Wedlake’s law practice has included a variety of areas including real property, contract law, business law and commercial litigation.
William J. Pammer, Jr., Ph.D., Commissioner, Sullivan County Division of Planning and Environmental Management, Monticello, New York. Dr. William J. Pammer has served as Planning Commissioner of Sullivan County since 2004. Prior to his appointment he was a Fulbright Scholar assigned to the Republic of Moldova, and he was a senior development advisor for the United States Agency for International Development (US AID) Moldova Local Government Reform Project. In addition to his public management experience, Dr. Pammer has had a distinguished academic and consulting background in public policy, and he has published numerous books, articles, and monographs focusing on fiscal issues, conflict management, economic development, and strategic planning. Dr. Pammer received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma, with a specialization in Public Policy and Planning.
Moderator for both forums:
Wes Gillingham, Program Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper
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