Resource Documentation on the Health Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing
The following is a compilation of scientific studies, expert testimony and journalistic articles about the detrimental health impacts of gas drilling.
Sandra Steingraber is an acclaimed ecologist and author who explores the links between human rights and the environment with a focus on chemical contamination. “The Whole Fracking Enchilada” is just one of the many articles she has written about the danger of tracking to our health and the environment.
The Town of DISH, TX, Ambient Air Monitoring Analysis was commissioned by the Mayor of DISH, TX to study health problems including nausea, headaches, breathing difficulties, chronic eye and throat irritation and brain disorders that developed after gas drilling compressor stations were built in their town.
The EPA Draft Findings of Pavillion, Wyoming Ground Water Investigation, detected synthetic chemicals, like the ones used in hydraulic fracturing, in aquifers. Earthworks did the following studies in response to resident health problems after gas drilling came to DISH, TX and Pavillion, WY:
“Impacts of Gas Drilling on Human and Animal Health” a study by Cornell veterinary doctors, Michelle Bamberger and Robert E. Oswald examines the premise that because animals often are exposed continually to air, soil and groundwater and have more frequent reproductive cycles, they can be use as sentinels to monitor impacts to human health.
The Endocrine Disruption Exchange website has a wealth of information on the toxins that are part of natural gas operations and also has links to articles and research papers by top scientists including Theo Colborn, Carol Kwiatkowski, Kim Schultz, and Mary Bachran, “Natural Gas Operations from a Public Health Perspective.” International Journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment):
Somewhere between 20% – 40% of the water used for hydrofracking a well returns to the surface as wastewater, also known as produced water. This wastewater not only contains the toxic and hazardous chemicals used in fracking fluid but also contains contaminants that it picks up from deep within the earth, most notably heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, salty brine and radioactive materials. Theoretically, this toxic cocktail could be treated at treatment facilities assuming these plants were properly equipped to remove these chemicals and radioactivity, however, there are few if any plants in New York State that currently have the technology to do this. Insufficient or incomplete treatment of wastewater will result in water being released into our streams, rivers and lakes that contain contaminants that are in higher levels that are considered safe. This is in fact what is happening in neighboring Pennsylvania, presenting significant health risks.
Wastewater Can Contain Normally Occurring Radioactive Materials
Naturally occurring radioactive materials, known by the acronym NORM, are common in gas drilling waste. Radium, a potent carcinogen, is among the most dangerous of these metals because it gives off radon gas and takes 1,600 years to decay. In an article first published in ProPublica and then in the Albany Times Union on November 9, 2009, Abrahm Lustgarten reported that the New York Department of Environmental Conservation analyzed 13 samples of wastewater brought up thousands of feet to the surface from drilling and found that they contained levels of radium-226, a derivative of uranium, as high as 267 times the limit safe for discharge into the environment and thousands of times the limit safe for people to drink.
In early 2011, the New York Times ran a 3 part investigative series on their multi-month investigation of radiation in wastewater. They reviewed thousands of internal documents from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that revealed that fracking wastewater contains radioactivity and other toxic materials at levels that are frequently geometrically higher than the level that federal regulators say is safe for wastewater treatment plants to handle. EPA and industry researchers say that the biggest danger of radioactive wastewater is its potential to contaminate drinking water and enter the food chain through fish or farming. Many federal studies show that once radium enters a person’s body, by eating, drinking or breathing, it can cause cancer, asthma and a plethora of other health problems. For more on the health impacts of fracking, click here.
The Times also found never-reported studies by the EPA and a confidential study by the drilling industry that all concluded that radioactivity in drilling waste cannot be fully diluted in rivers and other waterways.
The Times’ exhaustive study which included review of 30,000 pages of federal, state and company records relating to 200 gas wells in Pennsylvania, 40 in West Virginia and 20 public and private wastewater treatment plans found the following:
More than 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater was produced by Pennsylvania wells from 2008 to 2010, far more than has been previously disclosed. Most of this water — enough to cover Manhattan in three inches — was sent to treatment plants not equipped to remove many of the toxic and hazardous materials in drilling waste.
Treatment plants in Pennsylvania discharged waste into some of the state’s major river basins including the Monongahela River, which provides drinking water to more than 800,000 people including Pittsburgh and the Susquehanna River, which feeds into Chesapeake Bay and provides drinking water to more than 6 million people.
Drillers in Pennsylvania trucked at least half of their waste to at least 12 sewage treatment plants in three other states including two plants in New York that discharge into Southern Cayuga Lake near Ithaca and Owasco Outlet, near Auburn.
Of more than 179 wells producing wastewater with high levels of radiation, at least 116 reported levels of radium or other radioactive materials 100 times as high as the levels set by federal drinking-water standards. At least 15 wells produced wastewater carrying more than 1,000 times the amount of radioactive elements considered acceptable.
Most wastewater facilities cannot remove enough of the radioactive material to meet federal drinking-water standards before discharging the wastewater into rivers, sometimes just miles upstream from drinking–water intake plants.
Federal and state regulators have given nearly all drinking-water intake facilities in Pennsylvania permission to only test for radioactivity once every six or nine years and with the blessing of regulators, have not tested for radioactivity since before 2006, even though the drilling boom began in 2008.
Brine Wastewater – Expensive and Difficult to Treat
Wastewater contains salty brine that is brought up from the earth. The saltiness of the brine creates high levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), which are compounds in the water that cannot be removed by a traditional filter. If these total dissolved solids (TDS) are not completely processed by a treatment facility, the water that is released by the facility into rivers and streams and then used for drinking water can create environmental pollutants known as Trihalomethanes (THMs) when the water high in TDS reacts with chlorine. THMs are considered by many to be carcinogenic.
Wastewater treatment plants like the one in Endicott, NY cannot treat salty wastewater because they use a biological treatment process where freshwater microbes clean the water. High levels of salt and total dissolved solids (TDS) could harm the process.
“If all of a sudden the water taken in is salty, it could kill the microbes, and pretty significant technology is involved in desalinization,” said James Tierney, assistant commissioner for water resources at the state Department of Environmental Conservation. “That technology is used for turning saltwater into freshwater around the world, but it can be costly.”
Frack Waste on New York State Roads
In July 2011, The Ithaca Journal reported that several municipalities in New York have approved the use of wastewater from drilling for use in winter snow and ice clearing and dust management. The DEC approved permit conditions include provisions that the road spreading be done in a manner that minimizes the chances of the brine running off into streams, creeks, lakes and other bodies of water. However, it is extremely unlikely that this toxic brine will NOT flow into the water in these areas. This means that the DEC will have sanctioned exposure to contaminated wastewater without having done any serious health or environmental assessment.
Significant Danger from Open Pits Where Fracking Waste is Stored
Historically the industry has used open pits to store fracking water prior to transport to treatment facilities. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has justified not banning this practice in the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (dSGEIS), the permit conditions under which they propose to allow horizontal gas drilling using hydrofracking in New York State, released in September 2011, because they say that the gas industry has asserted that they are unlikely to use open pits for the storage of wastewater. Instead they have proposed a system where a lone DEC employee could grant approval without doing an individual environmental impact study.
Open pits create a tremendous hazard, from the threat of being flooded and leakage to a pathway for human and animal exposure to chemicals through volatilization of chemicals sitting in the pits. For example, benzene and other volatile (light) hydrocarbons that are dissolved in liquids will enter the air when the liquid is exposed to the atmosphere.
Based on extensive study and scientific evidence, Catskill Mountainkeeper has called for a ban on fracking. We are also working within the existing regulatory process in New York to raise critical issues, widen the discussion of the impacts of drilling, and expand the options available to protect the public.
July 1, 2010 Action Alert: Join us on July 14th to demand a moratorium on all gas projects in the Delaware River Watershed June 23, 2010 Action Alert : Broad Coalition Forms to Protect New York from Dangers of Fracking
June 15, 2010 Action Alert: Tell the NYS Legislature to pass a moratoruim on gas drilling using hydrofracking
Michelle Williams, who, like Mark Ruffalo, lives in western Sullivan, just issued an anti-drilling plea through Youngsville-based Catskill Mountainkeeper. …
Among these are Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Environmental Advocates of New York, Grassroots Environmental Education, …
A hydraulic fracturing fluid holding pond in the Marcellus Shale (J Henry Fair/Catskill Mountainkeepers). Speaking in Denver last week, US Environmental …
The campaign is supported by Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Earthjustice, EARTHWORKS Oil & Gas Accountability Project, …
Politics on the Hudson (blog) – Jon Campbell-October 25, 2011
(A tip of the hat to @mountainkeeper for the link) KimRPalmer: Only idiot people will agree for this kind of stupid opinion! nick c: What is it that these …
EmpireStateNews.net-Oct 21, 2011
The language doesn’t go far enough for Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, an opponent of hydrofracking
Catskill MountainKeeper Program director Wes Gillingham adds that fracking has divided elected officials. Fracking is officially banned in two of New York’s …
On Thursday at 6:30pm, representatives from Environmental Advocates of New York, Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice and Catskill Mountainkeeper…
Madison County Courier – Chris Hoffman- Oct 14, 2011
Catskill Mountainkeeper, among many other environmental organizations, has repeatedly cited major flaws in the dSGEIS, including an inadequate assessment of …
Wes Gillingham, program director of the Catskill Mountainkeeper also spoke and said he was “wholeheartedly disappointed” that the doctors’ press conference …
The event was hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), and co-sponsored by Sustainable Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Dutchess and Ulster …
Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy have info on the plans to frack New York, and Catskill Mountainkeeper offers more information on flooding and fracking. …
Times Herald-Record – Steve Israel-September 8, 2011
“The whole hydrogeology of the area has changed, so you have devastating floods in areas that aren’t plains,” says Ramsay Adams of Catskill Mountainkeeper. …
When the Department of Environmental Conservation releases its complete report on hydrofracking today, Ramsay Adams of Catskill Mountainkeeper has a burning …
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle – Jon Campbell- September 6, 2011
… for not protecting New Yorkers,” said Wes Gillingham, program director for Catskill Mountainkeeper. For the gas industry, the exact opposite is true. …
Wes Gillingham, program director for the advocacy group Catskill Mountain Keeper, says many farms suffered extensive damage and many farm animals perished …
Ramsay Adams, executive director of the environmental group Catskill Mountainkeeper, said of his ally, “Mark is the real deal.” After a chance meeting in a …
Catskill Mountainkeeper and its allies have taken their position in part because New … Ramsay Adams, the founder and director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, …
While acknowledging that the current draft is an improvement over the 2009 version, Mountainkeeper’s program director Wes Gillingham said there are still …
EmpireStateNews.net- August 7, 2011
In this area, the groups include Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Hopewell Junction Citizens for Clean Water, Hudson Riverkeeper, .
… no matter how stringent they are,” said Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. Horizontal wells go straight down for about a mile, …
Rochester City Newspaper – Jeremy Moule-July 20, 2011
The layoffs included technicians and scientists, says Wes Gillingham, program director for Catskill Mountainkeeper. DEC Region 4, which includes part of the …
Ramsay Adams heads the environmental preservation group Catskill Mountainkeeper. He questions how profitable the industry truly is, and the amount in …
… Executive Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper Ramsay Adams, The Arts for Peace Initiative (in Support of the UN Water for Life Decade for Action), NYH20, Damascus Citizens For Sustainability, and The Cooper Union Institute for Sustainable Design. …
The coalition includes several national and state organizations including Food & Water Watch, Frack Action, Democracy for America, Friends of the Earth, Credo Action, Center for Heath Environment and Justice, Catskill Mountainkeeper and Citizen Action …
Politics on the Hudson (blog) - Jon Campbell - Jul 7, 2011
“Andrew Cuomo, you still have an opportunity,” said Wes Gillingham of Catskill Mountainkeeper. “You still have an opportunity to show us leadership and that you’re here to protect New York.” While those groups say hydrofracking—a gas stimulation …
Wes Gillingham of Catskill Mountainkeeper warns “New York needs to have some serious fundamental questions answered about the dangers of hydro-fracturing” – the ball is now in Governor Cuomo’s court: anxious activists will await his response to their …
Other groups, such as Citizens Campaign for the Environment and Catskill Mountainkeeper, echoed Goldberg’s concern. Martens, however, said the agency would be in compliance with the law when it issues permits before the official regulations are final, …
Ramsay Adams heads the environmental protection organization Catskill Mountainkeeper… “Now to have the Cuomo Administration issue their strategy for fast-tracking drilling in New York State without adequately protecting communities and the Delaware …
The environmental group Catskill Mountainkeeper called on the DEC to follow the New Jersey Legislature’s recent example and extend the fracking ban statewide. “This is a clear signal by the Cuomo Administration that we’re creating a roadmap for …
Wes Gillingham, with Catskill Mountainkeeper, says his group has been working with the administration to try to ensure protections from hydro fracking, but he says the announcement to go ahead with fracking on private property in New York has caused a …
Times Herald-Record - Steve Israel - Jun 30, 2011
“A road map for the industrialization of the Catskills; the fact that the Delaware River isn’t protected is outrageous,” said Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. “It’s clear they haven’t developed a plan to deal with wastewater ..
The news is stunning to Ramsay Adams, the head of the environmental protection organization Catskill Mountainkeeper. Adams says it leaves similar groups, who have been working within the process, to wonder if they’ve been played. …
… announced today seems to completely ignore the fact that the fracking is unsafe and that the industrial waste produced by this process is hazardous and needs to be treated as such,” said Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. …
Wes Gillingham, with Catskill Mountainkeeper, says his group has been working with the administration to try to ensure protections from hydrofracking, but he says the announcement to go ahead with fracking on private property in New York has caused a …
Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, said, “The summary announced today seems to completely ignore the fact that fracking is unsafe and that the industrial waste produced by this process is hazardous and needs to be treated as …
Times Herald-Record - Steve Israel - Jun 29, 2011
“Anything short of a prohibition in the Catskills, including the Delaware watershed, is inadequate,” says Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. Opponents like Adams are bolstered by recent New York Times stories claiming the gas …
Times Herald-Record - Steve Israel - Jun 18, 2011
Although prospects for the bills seem dim, pro- and anti-drillers agree on one thing about Albany: “Anything can happen,” says Ramsay Adams of the anti-drilling Catskill Mountainkeeper. We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this …
The campaign was launched by Environmental Advocates of New York and is supported by Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Earthjustice, EARTHWORKS Oil & Gas Accountability Project, Natural Resources Defense Council, …
Last April, the groups, including Riverkeeper, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Catskill Mountainkeeper, enlisted average citizens as “rangers” to help protect the safety of their water. asking them to don superhero costumes and have …
Politics on the Hudson (blog) - Jon Campbell - Jun 8, 2011
The spot was sponsored by a coalition of groups who have been very outspoken against hydrofracking, including Environmental Advocates of New York, Catskill Mountainkeeper and Citizens Campaign for the Environment. Ruffalo, in particular, has been very …
Wes Gillingham is with the Catskill Mountain Keeper. He believes drilling regulations should be in place before companies are approved for future waterdrawals. Gillingham says, “This is the cart before the horse. We have a regulatory process that’s …
It thus came as a sublime surprise to learn that the very opposite conclusion had been reached by the Open Space Institute, in connection with the Urban Design Lab of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Catskill Mountainkeeper, the Upper …
My guest today is Ramsay Adams, Executive Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. Welcome to OpEdNews, Ramsay. What is the mission of your organization? Catskill Mountainkeeper is a grassroots …
Press & Sun-Bulletin - Steve Reilly - June 1, 2011
Wes Gillingham, program director for Catskill Mountainkeeper, said that provided further justification to deny the application. “The New York State DEC Commissioner has asked you not to approve this docket,” he said during his public comments. …
Wes Gillingham is the program director at Catskill Mountain Keeper, a New York-based environmental advocacy group. ”Community groups, environmental organizations, farming organizations, health organizations have been calling for the last 2 years, …
Sponsors Include; The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival , City of Binghamton, City of Syracuse, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, Catskill MountainKeeper, CPNY, BRSC, NYRAD, ShaleShock, Frack Action, Binghamton River Walk Hotel, Gas Free Seneca, NOON, …
Times Herald-Record - Steve Israel - May 28, 2011
“Let the EPA release the study and let the DEC take that into account,” says Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. “The timeline should be based on science, and science is coming.” Pro-drillers, who say drilling is safe and would …
The parade will step off promptly at 1 pm, led by the 2011 grand marshal Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. He will be followed by a wide variety of music, entertainment, and floats representing local businesses, …
My guest today is Ramsay Adams, Executive Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. Welcome to OpEdNews, Ramsay. What is the mission of your organization? Catskill Mountainkeeper is a grassroots …
JOINT RELEASE: Advocates for Springfield; Butternut Valley Alliance; Cancer Action New York; Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy; Catskill Mountainkeeper; Chenango Community Action for Renewable Energy; Citizens Campaign for the Environment; Committee to …
The New York Water Rangers are supported by a network of organizations that includes Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Earthjustice, EARTHWORKS Oil & Gas Accountability Project, Environmental Advocates of New York, …
… and real serious problems with the process and potential for contaminating ground water,” said activist and Catskill Mountainkeeper Wes Gillingham. …
Wes Gillingham is with Catskill Mountainkeeper, a vocal opponent of the practice of hydraulic fracturing in New York. He raises questions over the investment in Cabot, which has been at the center of the controversy surrounding contaminated water in …
The Trout Parade will step off promptly at 1 pm, led by the 2011 grand marshal, Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. Adams will be followed by a wide variety of music, entertainment and floats representing local businesses, …
Sabrina Artel: Welcome to Trailer Talk. I have joining me Julie and Craig Sautner. You traveled all the way from Pennsylvania. We’re here in Beaverkill, New York. This is the Catskill Mountainkeeper Field Day and Barnfest.
Sabrina Artel: Welcome to Trailer Talk. I have joining me Julie and Craig Sautner. You traveled all the way from Pennsylvania. We’re here in Beaverkill, New York. This is the Catskill Mountainkeeper Field Day and Barnfest.
The campaign was launched by Environmental Advocates of New York and is supported by Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Earthjustice, EARTHWORKS Oil & Gas Accountability Project, Natural Resources Defense Council, …
This year’s Earth Day Lobby Day was hosted by Adirondack Council, Audubon New York, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Environmental Advocates of New York, New York Interfaith Power and Light, New York League of …
The report is the fruit of a project team that includes Open Space, Catskill Mountainkeeper and students in Columbia University’s Urban Design Research Seminar. Its release Saturday comes at a time when farming in New York state — and in the Catskills …
… for Sustainability, Sullivan County NY residents including actor Mark Ruffalo, members of Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, neighbors traveling on buses hosted by Catskill Mountainkeeper, recordings from statements made to the DRBC and more. …
“What the implication is, is that we really need to plan ahead before any development goes forward,” said Wes Gillingham, Program Director for the environmental group Catskill Mountainkeeper. The DEP’s request comes after high levels of bromide were …
… Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, neighbors traveling on buses hosted by Catskill Mountainkeeper, recordings from statements made to the DRBC and more. …
REGION — A lengthy article in The New York Times, published on February 27, has environmentalists applauding and calling the article a game changer.
The River Reporter – Mar 03 06:40am
Similar to committee hearings held in Sullivan County, the committee has invited Catskill Mountainkeeper, the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New …
Poughkeepsie Journal-Mar 7, 2011
Catskill Mountainkeeper, an environmental advocacy organization dedicated to the Catskill Mountains region, has opened an office in Woodstock. …
GREENE COUNTY — The Sullivan County-based environmental watchdog organization Catskill Mountainkeeper has officially opened an eastern office to serve the Catskill’s High Peaks region, including Greene County, which has six of the 10 highest mountains in the range.
WOODSTOCK — An organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the long-term health of the counties in the Catskill Mountains has opened an office in the heart of Woodstock and hired a High Peaks Region director.
Times Herald-Record - Steve Israel - Feb 22, 2011
But no matter how stringent the regulations, there aren’t enough DRBC staffers to enforce them, said Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. That’s one reason he and others said the regulations should be abandoned until a federal …
Sponsorship for this event is provided in part by Catskill Mountainkeeper, a member based advocacy organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the long term health of the Catskill Region, www.catskillmountainkeeper.com; and Ulster Savings Bank, …
Mid-Hudson News-Feb 14, 2011
KINGSTON – The Catskill Mountainkeeper is on the side of Ulster County government with its planned lawsuit against the New York City Department of …
Catskill Mountainkeeper, based in the hamlet of Youngsville in Sullivan County, announced the new branch location on Tuesday. It will be led by Dr. Kathleen …
The presentation — “Economic Benefits of Parkland,” and which includes a group discussion — is conducted in conjunction with Catskill Mountainkeeper and …
The documentary “Gasland” is in contention for Hollywood’s highest honor. As Lori Chung reports, there is hope the film’s increased exposure will bring more attention to the fight against hydrofracking. Mountainkeeper Program Director Interviewed.
As president of the Open Space Institute and former chairman of Catskill Mountainkeeper, he has made it clear that the prospect of creating thousands of …
‘Gasland’ being shown in Accord (corrected) Representatives from Un-Natural Gas and Catskill Mountainkeeper will introduce the film and take questions. Chesapeake Petroleum & Supply also has been invited.
Martens has been president of the Open Space Institute since 1998, and until recently was chairman of the board of directors of Catskill Mountainkeeper, …
Wes Gillingham, program director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, a leader in the fight against gas drilling: Cuomo must uphold the executive order (of Gov. David Paterson) for the July 2011 moratorium on the horizontal drilling method of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” or even extend it, says Gillingham, who adds that some hope Cuomo extends it to also include the vertical drilling method. While Cuomo has said he only supports drilling and its economic benefits “if it’s safe,” a real indication of his position may come with his choice of a new commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, which would oversee drilling “It’s an important choice,” says Gillingham.
A statement from Catskill Mountainkeeper called the executive order an “amazing victory.” With it, the statement said, “New York State becomes the first …
Catskill Mountainkeeper called the executive order an “historic victory for the citizens of New York State.” But, it said it is a “disappointment” because vertical wells, which are excluded from the ban, are also dangerous.
On Friday, environmental groups like Catskill Mountainkeeper of Youngsville launched a counterattack, claiming vertical wells have caused “some of the worst water contamination problems” in the country.
“Two years ago industry told us ‘It’s just sand and water.’ Today everyone knows it is much more toxic than that, so why would we believe their current exaggeration?” said Wes Gillingham, Program Director, Catskill Mountainkeeper. “It is time to stop and get the facts about how fracking will impact our state before it happens, not after it’s too late.”
Extraction tax dies in Pa. State House ALBANY, N.Y. While Pennsylvania argues how or whether to tax fracking gas drilling withdrawals, the New York State Assembly voted 93 to 43 Monday night on a temporary moratorium on the process.
The groups calling on the Assembly to pass the timeout for fracking include Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Catskill Mountainkeeper, EARTHWORKS Oil …
in the news this week. That’s the Indian casino proposed by the Stockbridge Munsee Band of …
YOUNGSVILLE – The Catskill Mountainkeeper organization is calling on President Obama’s administration not to approve any more natural gas drilling permits …
Catskill Mountainkeeper is particularly opposed to the one back in the news this week. That’s the Indian casino proposed by the Stockbridge Munsee Band of …
Before the election, groups like CPFL and Catskill Mountainkeeper were urging the legislature to overhaul the laws that set up the DEC’s awkward dual …
For more than a year now, Catskill Mountainkeeper has been calling for the state to throw out its flawed DSGEIS and redo it based on current scientific …
… the fact of the matter is that the DEC is our protector,” said Ramsay Adams, executive director of the environmental group Catskill Mountainkeepers. …
“The state’s inability to adequately monitor gas drilling is yet one more reason why the state should slow down the process,” says Catskill Mountainkeeper, …
Blooming Grove — Wes Gillingham, a director of the Catskill Mountainkeeper and on the frontlines of the struggle to stop the gas mining process called …
The Catskill Mountainkeeper said in the release: “If the DRBC does issue these regulations, Catskill Mountainkeeper will be looking at legal action on behalf of all Catskill region residents to have them nullified. This will be an additional and substantial expense on top of all the other expenses Mountainkeeper is making to continue to lead the fight against gas drilling in our state and region.”
“It’s a no-brainer,” says Wes Gillingham, program director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. “Why would you go forward with the rules and regulations before you …
… history of trashing the places where our energy comes from,” says Wes Gillingham, director of a conservation group called the Catskill Mountainkeeper. …
Wes Gillingham, program director for Catskill Mountainkeeper, asked the EPA to expand its study to look at what fracking does to the geology of the land. …
Wes Gillingham, program director for Catskill Mountainkeeper, asked the EPA to expand its study to look at what fracking does to the geology of the land.
While we at Catskill Mountainkeeper have worked really hard on this issue, … Catskill Mountainkeeper may have started singing early and may sing louder at
Nor will the celebrities, according to officials with Catskill Mountainkeeper, an environmental group helping to organize the anti-drilling contingent.
The drilling industry, of course, characterizes such occurrences as “isolated incidents”, but Wes Gillingham, program director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, …
The New York Times and Catskill Mountainkeeper have reported that the EPA’s last hearing on fracking, held in Canonsburg, Pa., in July drew over 1,200 people without a hitch.
It isn’t often these days that the good guys win one. But here’s a beautiful example of a successful effort so far by the activist group Catskill Mountainkeeper and friends.
MONTICELLO, NY — When the New York Senate voted in the wee hours of August 4 to impose a moratorium on gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale until May 15, 2011, many gas drilling opponents in New York and other states were watching the process unfold live over the Internet, and were surprised at the lopsided outcome, 48 to nine.
The call for an extension was endorsed by the following environmental groups: Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Earthworks Oil …
The groups calling on the EPA to extend the comment period include Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Earthworks Oil & Gas …
Times Herald-Record – Steve Israel-August 10, 2010
“It’s a travesty, but it’s the right thing to do under the circumstances,” said Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper in the Sullivan …
Ramsay Adams, executive director of the community-based environmental advocacy organization Catskill Mountainkeeper, said the sudden change of venue raised …
Press & Sun-Bulletin – Steve Reilly-August 10, 2010
“It’s really disappointing that the process would work this way,” said Wes Gillingham, program director for the environmental group, Catskill Mountainkeeper…
“This industry has proven time and time again than they cannot be trusted to regulate themselves,” affirmed Wes Gillingham with Catskill Mountainkeeper. …
One of the groups involved in the drive for the moratorium, Catskill Mountainkeeper, wants to keep the heat on the issue. Program Director Wes Gillingham …
“This is one of those rare times that the people of New York spoke louder than lots of money,” Wes Gillingham, program director for Catskill Mountainkeeper, …
Since New York began mulling drilling legislation, groups like Catskill Mountainkeeper have pointed to incidents in Pennsylvania — including diesel spills, …
ALBANY — State Senate passage of a moratorium against drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus shale region has environmental groups energized while energy industry officials have accelerated the campaign to defeat a state Assembly version of the bill.
ROSCOE, NY — Acclaimed author and international organizer on climate change, Bill McKibben stepped up onto a small stage framed by apple trees against a cloud-studded blue sky on July 31, and told hundreds of people perched on the rolling lawn, “I’ve been all over the world and I would not trade New York State.
ALBANY – Opponent of hydrofracking to mine natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations are thrilled that the State Senate has approved an 11 month moratorium on drilling.
The effort to ban hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale clears a major hurdle in Albany. As Lori Chung reports, local environmentalists are calling it an 11th-hour victory.
Do we take the dirty-energy money and run and screw the consequences? Or do we build something more sustainable that doesn’t hurt the people around us? Which do you choose?
When I traveled to Dimock–along with some experts from NRDC, Riverkeeper, and Catskill Mountainkeeper–we visited one farmer who had three wells on his …
… and Wes Gillingham, the program director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, who will talk about how the use of fracturing upstate could affect New Yorkers’ tap …
He said, “I agree with Sierra Club, Catskill Mountainkeeper, “Gasland” director Josh Fox, and thousands of others, that what is truly needed now is for the …
Times Herald-Record - Steve Israel - Jun 18, 2010
“That’s totally not true,” says Ramsey Adams of Catskill Mountainkeeper. “Look at any one of us nonprofits. If we lobby, we put in our hours and our funding …
… the executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, and producer Trish Adlesic had film-goers requesting more information about how to get involved, …
Wes Gillingham, the Catskill Mountainkeeper program director who will speak in New Brunswick next week, says he just came back from a visit to Dimock with …
The screening tour is being co-organized by Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Catskill Mountainkeeper and Earthjustice. This event is open to the public. …
Natural Resources Defense Council (blog) - Jun 7, 2010
This last trip out to hear from the families of Dimock was not a one shot deal for NRDC, its partners (Riverkeeper, Catskill Mountainkeeper and Damascus …
… he is senior attorney, Catskills Mountainkeeper and Delaware Riverkeeper, including actor Mark Ruffalo and former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter. …
Scranton Times-Tribune – laura legere-June 4, 2010
… he is senior attorney, Catskills Mountainkeeper and Delaware Riverkeeper, including actor Mark Ruffalo and former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter. …
… as well as National Park Service superintendent Sean McGuinness, Ramsay Adams of Catskill Mountainkeeper, Bruce Ferguson of Catskill Citizens for Safe …
The screening tour is being co-organized by Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Catskill Mountainkeeper and Earthjustice. For more information on the film, …
The state DEC is getting closer to wrapping up its review of hydrofracking. That’s the name for the process used to extract natural gas from shale and many companies are eager to start exploring the Marcellus shale, which runs across a large part of New York State. In part two of our series on hydrofracking, our Tara Lynn Wagner tells us how a town in northern Pennsylvania is serving as an … YNN Syracuse – May 30 08:10am
… and hopefully get enough mitigation in that the mistakes won’t happen in the first place,” said Catskill Mountainkeeper Program Director Wes Gillingham. …
… on another resource makes no economic sense, no environmental sense and no social sense,” said Catskill Mountainkeeper Program Director Wes Gillingham. …
It’s a controversial issue that’s been getting a lot of attention lately. With natural gas companies eager to tap into the deposits in the Marcellus shale, there’s the promise of new jobs and an economic boost for landowners. But there are still concerns about the process used to extract the gas called hydrofracking. In the first of our two part series Tara Lynn Wagner has more on an issue that … YNN Syracuse – May 29 12:25pm
“It’s a hell of a lot of New York,” says Ramsay Adams, the director of advocacy group Catskill Mountainkeeper. “We’re really talking about industrializing …
More than 2800 people have signed an online petition organized by Catskill Mountainkeeper to encourage the DEC to hold off issuing its Final Supplemental …
Ramsay Adams, the executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, said, “There is no way to know the motivations or thinking behind the DEC’s statement; …
Times Herald-Record - Stephen Sacco - Apr 23, 2010
Ramsay Adams, executive director of the Catskill Mountainkeeper, an environmental group advocating for the six counties in the Catskill region, …
April 21, 2010, Mid Hudson News:Sullivan Renaissance Funds Veggie Gardens “Recipients of the first round of funding include: Catskill Mountainkeeper; Delaware Highlands Conservancy; NACL Theater; Sullivan County Division of Planning and Environmental Management; Sullivan County Community College; and Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless. Click here for complete article
April 19, 2010, Times Herald Record:Group Wants Gas Drilling to Save NY Parks “In response, Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, pointed to the news about Pennsylvania and dismissed the proposal as “outrageous.” Click here for complete article
April 18, 2010, YNN Cable News:Environmental Advocates Want Study Done Before Drilling Process Begins “They need to wait until the EPA study to come out,” said Ramsay Adams, Catskill mountain keeper. Ramsay Adams of Catskill mountain keeper doesn’t think the drilling will start this year. Adams says at the same time the DEC is developing its rules, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is also studying natural gas drilling. Adams says by waiting New York can use information from the EPA study to develop its regulations. “It’s the only common sense thing to do,” said Adams. Adams says natural gas drilling will bring major environmental damage to the region for the short term gain of a few, but van Swol says he is confident the rules the DEC comes up with will prevent that from happening. Click here for complete article
April 7, 2010, The Times Herald Record:Environmental Group Wants Drilling Postponed “Why wouldn’t (the Department of Environmental Conservation) wait? It’s only common sense,” says Ramsay Adams, executive director of Mountainkeeper, which like other local and national environmental groups — and New York City — says the horizontal drilling method of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” pollutes drinking water.” Click here for complete article
March 25, 2010, Yale’s Environment 360:A Controversial Drilling Practice Hits Roadblock in New York City “Wes Gillingham, program director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, said of the report, “One of the reasons industry could get away with these incidents is that there was a lack of science. New York City used reputable geologists and came up with the science.”” Click here for complete article
March 12, 2010, Hudson Valley Business Journal:Opposition to Gas Drilling Growing
Opposition to drilling for natural gas in the Catskill Watershed is gaining momentum as a unified voice in lower New York, but few leaders in other areas that will be directly impacted have weighed in on the situation. “The southern tier towns (along the Marcellus Shale) are just going to get the traffic impacts and virtually no benefit,” says Ramsey Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. ” Click here for complete article
March 10, 2010, Huffington Post:Fracking in New York’sMarcellus Shale, an Open Forum “The panelists included James Gennaro, chairman of the New York City Council Environmental Protection Committee, Kate Sinding, senior attorney for Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Scott Rotruck, vice president of corporate development for Chesapeake Energy, Stuart Gruskin, executive deputy commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and Wes Gillingham, program director, Catskill Mountain Keeper. There was also a closing keynote by U.S. Congressman Maurice Hinchey, D-New York 22nd District.” Click here for complete article
March 9, 2010, Mid-Hudson News:Marcellus Shale Gas Mining Discussed at Forum “During public comment, questions were raised as to what sort of impact permitting gas drilling in state park areas would have on the preservation of those parks and the tourism they generate. According to Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Program Director Wes Gillingham, allowing this type of drilling on park land would, in the long term, affect visitors to the area. “People don’t want to come and hunt and fish next to 24/7 drilling activity.” Click here for complete article
March 9, 2010, Times Herald Record:Drilling Proponents, Foes, Square Off in New Paltz “Sinding — like Wes Gillingham of Catskill Mountainkeeper — called for the DEC to start the regulations process over again because there’s no analysis of the “cumulative impact” of drilling. All of which makes the DEC’s job of balancing environmental protection with the development of natural resources even tougher.“ Click here for complete article
March 8, 2010, NRDC Switchboard:Kate Sinding Blog, Flurry of Events in New York Demonstrate Enormous Public Concern Over Marcellus Shale Drilling “Tonight, I am sitting on a panel with Chair of the NYC Council Environmental Protection Committee, Jim Gennaro, DEC Executive Deputy Commissioner, Stuart Gruskin, Chesapeake Energy VP of Government Relations, David Spigelmyer, and Catskill Mountainkeeper Program Director, Wes Gillingham. The panel discussion, being held at SUNY New Paltz, will be in a roundtable format to be followed by a public forum and a keynote address by US Congressman Maurice Hinchey (sponsor of the FRAC Act that would restore federal regulation over the controversial hydraulic fracturing technology). The event is scheduled to run from 5:45 to 8 pm in Lecture Center Room 100.“ Click here for complete article
February 25, 2010, The Phoenicia Times:Belleayre Resort Moving Forward? “The issues involved, from new precedents for mountaintop development to construction traffic and municipal tax compensation, they’re all issues of local community impact, and those are our primary concern” said Aaron Bennett, new Regional Director for Catskill Mountainkeeper.
“Thus far, Crossroads refusal to consider parameters of scale more appropriate to our local communities remains a real issue for us. But we’ll just have to wait and see what the company’s really proposing when the SDEIS is finally submitted.” Click here for complete article
February 26, 2010, Times Herald Record:Sullivan County, Nonprofits Push for Demo Farm “Besides the Open Space Institute, nonprofits that have express interest include Sullivan County Cornell Cooperative Extension, Catskill Mountainkeeper and the Delaware Highland Conservancy, among others.” Click here for complete article
January 28, 2010, The Huffington Post:Dont Frack With New York! Paterson Poisons the Well to Balance the Budget “We can’t let the gleam of potential profits leave us with a legacy of polluted water and industrialized landscapes,” said Wes Gillingham, program director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. Click here for the complete article
January 28, 2010, The River Reporter:Organic Deliberations “Several people from the Upper Delaware Valley area went to the event, including Sonja Hedlund from Apple Pond Farm in Callicoon Center, Maria Grimaldi of Panther Rock Farn in Youngsville, Trina Pilonero of Silver Heights Farm in Cochecton Center, Mark Dunau of Mountain Dell Farm in Hancock, Greg Swartz of Willow Wisp Organic Farm in Abrahamsville, PA, Wes Gillingham of Catskill Mountainkeeper and Challey Comer of the Watershed Agricultural Council.“ Click here for the complete article
January 26, 2010, The Daily Star:Area Gas Drilling Supporters and Opponents Rally In Albany “There, they heard from members of the Catskill Mountainkeeper and Environmental Advocates, as well as public officials talking about the dangers posed by unbridled gas drilling, including the threat to drinking water supplies, she said. Adrian Kuzminski of Sustainable Otsego was among the speakers, she said.“ Click here for the complete article
January 26, 2010, Times Herald Record:Both Sides in Gas Drilling Dispute “Both camps agree that drilling the gas-rich Marcellus shale, which sits beneath Sullivan County and the Southern Tier, would be the biggest thing the state has seen. “It’s going to forever change the way New York does business,” said Ramsay Adams, executive director of the Catskill Mountainkeeper environmental group. “It’ll make it an energy state, like Texas, Colorado and West Virginia, and those aren’t pretty places.” Click here for the complete article
January 25, 2010, News10 Now, Binghamton:Protesters Call or Ban on Natual Gas Drilling“We are saying the process is flawed and they have to start over, we are not going to let them roll over us,” said Ramsay Adams, Catskill Mountainkeeper Executive Director.”Click here for the complete article
January 25, 2010, Reuters:Bloomberg Opposes Gas Drilling in the Watershed“At a competing rally organized by environmental groups, about 600 people — many of whom arrived by bus from New York City — said the industry was putting profits ahead of safety and waved signs reading “You Can’t Drink Money” and “Water: Our Best Resource.” “We can’t let the gleam of potential profits leave us with a legacy of polluted water and industrialized landscapes,” said Wes Gillingham, program director of Catskill Mountainkeeper.Click here for the complete article
January 24, 2010, Times Herald Record:2 Sides Offer Opposite Views About Fracking“The process just isn’t safe, says Ramsay Adams, executive director of Youngsville-based Catskill Mountainkeeper, one of the state’s leading drilling opponents. There are many assumptions (on the DEC’s part) that the chemicals used in the drilling process won’t seep into the environment, and that’s wrong. Just look at all the documented accidents in states ranging from Pennsylvania to Colorado. Drinking water from New York City to Liberty should be protected. Click here for the complete article
January 11, 2010, Times Herald Record:State Ban on Gas Drilling UnlikelyThe proposed regulations don’t do that, says a prominent drilling opponent, who called the rules “fatally flawed.” “Their job is to protect the environment, and the fact that they’re not is a travesty. The EPA knows it, the city knows and the DEC union knows it,” said Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper.” Click here for the complete article
January 8-14, 2010, Downtown Express:Pols, Activists Usher in New Year With Chilled Water“Representatives of other environmental groups at the rally included Annie Wilson, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Energy Committee; Deborah Goldberg, Earthjustice; Kate Sinding, National Resource Defense Council lawyer; Wes Gillingham, Catskill Mountainkeeper; and Joel Kupferman, New York Environmental Law & Justice Project attorney.” Click here for the complete article
January 7, 2010, The River Reporter:DEC Flooded With Comments Growing Chorus Says Hold Off On Fracking“NRDC, along with Earthjustice, Delaware Riverkeeper and Catskill Mountainkeeper, filed a 20-page highly technical comment on the draft SGEIS, enumerating a lengthy list of shortcomings, such as that it does not include an analysis of the cumulative impacts of multiple wells on resources such as water and air. ” Click here for the complete article
January 5, 2010, Sullivan County Democrat:Reaction to NYC’s Stance on Gas Drilling “Ramsay Adams and Wes Gillingham are the executive director and program director, respectively, of Catskill Mountainkeeper, a Youngsville-based environmental advocacy group. “As previously reported in this paper, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection has categorically stated that drilling in the New York City drinking water supply area must not be allowed,” said Adams.” Click here for the complete article
December 21, 2009, Agence France-Presse:Gas ‘Gold Rush’ Ignites Rural New York “Ramsay Adams, executive director at Catskill Mountainkeeper environmental group, says the biggest worry is what happens next, when the poisonous mix is locked underground in the same hills as New York’s drinking water aquifers.”Thirty percent of these millions of millions of gallons of water are left down there,” Adams said. “Ultimately it will migrate up and go downstream. You could find the contamination downstream. No one knows. The gas companies don’t know.” Click here for the complete article
French Version: Hors de question, pour Ramsay Adams, un des responsables des Catskill Mountainkeeper, une association écologiste locale. Il s’inquiète de ce que le mélange toxique pollue les nappes phréatiques. “Personne ne sait” ce qui peut se passer, insiste M. Adams. “Les compagnies de gaz elles-mêmes n’en savent rien”, lance-t-il. De sa maison, nichée dans un vallon, Alice Diehl acquiesce. Si l’eau venait à être contaminée, “il n’y aurait aucun moyen de défaire le mal”, dit-elle. Click here for the complete article
December 18, 2009, Times Herald Record:New State Plan Touts Natural Gas “But opponents said the plan was premature, coming before new drilling regulations have been approved. “It’s counting your chickens before they’ve hatched,” said Wes Gillingham, program director of Catskill Mountainkeeper in Youngsville. “You don’t promote an energy plan until you figure out what to do about all the problems.” Click here for the complete article
December 7, 2009, Herald DeParis:Environmentalists: Revise Gas Drilling Review? No Repeal It! “Catskill Mountainkeeper, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and a coalition of 26 environmental organizations have teamed up and asked Gov. David Paterson to repeal the Department of Environmental Conservation’s draft environmental review.” Click here for the complete article
December 7, 2009, Mid-Hudson News:Environmental Groups Ask Governor to Throw Out Marcellus Shale DSGEIS“The study, which would apply to the mining of Marcellus Shale, needs to be redrafted, said Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. “We’ve had our experts look at the document and it is fundamentally fatally flawed; most obviously no cumulous impacts,” he said. “We are saying loud and clear, a unified message from all across the environmental community in the great State of New York, ‘stop, do this right, this is not an adequate draft, so go back to the drawing board’.” Click here for the complete article
December 5, 2009, The Qatar Peninsula On-Line: Technology Opens Vast Stores of Natural Gas“This is probably the biggest thing to happen to the state of New York since the initial clearing by settlers,” said Wes Gillingham, executive director of the Catskill Mountainkeeper. ” Click here for the complete article
December 4, 2009,DC Bureau: The Marcellus Shale- New York is the Natural Gas Industry’s New Lab Rat“There’s this huge ecological gem that is about to get industrialized,” said Wes Gillingham, Catskill Mountainkeeper program director. “This is probably one of the biggest landscape changes that the East has seen in a really long time.” Click here for the complete article
November 27, 2009,The New York Times: At Odds Over Land, Gas and Money“They could be drilling directly under your well and threatening your groundwater,” said Wes Gillingham, the program director for the environmental group Catskill Mountainkeeper. He owns 100 acres in Sullivan County and said he was trying to keep it off-limits to drilling. Click here for the complete article
November 18, 2009,WENY-TV: Hydrofracking Friction at DEC’s Public Comment Session“Not only did residents come out to protest or support hydrofracturing in New York State, but they’re also talking about the DEC’s report. “This document is inaccurate,” said Wes Gillingham of Livingston Manor. “There are so many flaws.““Click here for the complete article
November 15, 2009, The Indypendent: New Yorkers Rally at Lone City Hearing on Hydro-Fracking Ramsey Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountain Keeper, an environmental advocacy group, attended the rally and was critical of the D.E.C. He told The Indypendent, “The draft supplemental is woefully inadequate and they need to go back to the drawing-board.” Click here for the complete article
November 13, 2009, Opposing Views: Angry Crowd Protests Water-Threatening, Gas Drilling in New York“Representatives of Riverkeeper, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Earthjustice, the Sierra Club, NYPIRG, Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, NYH2O, Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment, Theodore Gordon Flyfishers and other environmental groups also testified and presented a host of reasons for concern/alarm with the draft environmental impact statement prepared by the State DEC.“Click here for the complete article
November 12, 2009, FOX 40 News WICZ TV: To Drill or Not to Drill? DEC Holds Gas Drilling Hearings at CV“We need to have everything in place before you let any of this happen,” said Wes Gillingham, Program Director for Catskill Mountain Keeper”Click here for the complete article
November 10, 2009, Times Herald Record: NYC Rally Aims to Stop Drilling in Watershed- Local Groups Seek Same “If it’s not good enough for New York City, it’s not good enough for the rest of the state. It would set a precedent and say drilling isn’t safe,” says Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper in the western Sullivan hamlet of Youngsville.” Click here for the complete article
November 2, 2009, Counterpunch: Trading the Watershed to Trash the Catskills “To the north and east of Sullivan County, the Catskill Park, established in the late 19th century, contains large parcels of undisturbed forest. “It is an incredibly pristine landscape,” Wes Gillingham, Program Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper told me recently.“ Click here for the complete article
October 28, 2009, The Rochester City Newspaper: Shale Drilling Concerns Evolve “Wes Gillingham.. of the Catskill Mountainkeeper environmental group, says that drilling could have a profound impact on water quality, even across state lines.“ Click here for the complete article
October 21, 2009, The Rochester City Newspaper: Shale- What About the Water? “Gillingham made a compelling point about one of the most crucial issues – water. The energy companies have their sights set on an area in the heart of the Catskills, centered on Peas Eddy and Hancock, in Delaware County. It’s one of the thickest parts of several shale formations, which means it has high potential as a natural gas resource.“ Click here for the complete article
October 14, 2009, The Rochester City Newspaper: Learning the Natural Gas Drill “To help inform area residents on the issues surrounding gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, local environmental groups, as well as the League of Women Voters, are hosting a forum at 7 p.m. on Monday, October 19, at Brighton Town Hall, 2300 Elmwood Avenue. The event will feature a panel of experts, including a primer by Wes Gillingham, the director of Catskill Mountain Keeper.“Click here for the complete article
October 12, 2009, The Times Herald Record: Drilling Regs Hearing Will Reveal issues “The whole cumulative impact is a glaring problem,” says Wes Gillingham, program director of Sullivan County’s Catskill Mountainkeeper. “Each company knows how much land they’ve leased. One well leads to another and another. And how will the state control the impact of all that waste?”Click here for the complete article
October 9, 2009, The Sullivan County Democrat: DEC gas rules get scrutinized“While we are appreciative of the few new controls and protections the DEC report offers, overall it is dramatically inadequate in offering reasonable solutions that the public deserves,” stated Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper.Click here for the complete article
October 8, 2009, The River Reporter: Mixed reviews for DEC regsThe release said the SGEIS “puts no limitation on the total number of gas wells that could be developed within a specific area. This means that there will be no control of the cumulative impact on air, land, water, wildlife or people.”Click here for the complete article
October 5, 2009, MPNnow.com: Gas Drilling Coming to the Finger Lakes? Public forum. Experts inform and answer questions. Pre-register: info@fmce.org, (www.fmce.org), or call (585) 392-4918. On hand will be Wes Gillingham, program director for Catskill Mountain Keeper (catskillmountainkeeper.org) Click here for the complete article
October 2, 2009, Mid-Hudson News Network: Cahill supports Marcellus Shale gas drilling as short term energy sourceCatskill Mountainkeeper, meanwhile, said while the DEC offers a few new controls and protections, “It is dramatically inadequate in offering reasonable solutions that the public deserves.”Click here for the complete article
October 1, 2009, Times Herald Record: DEC drafts regulations for gas drilling“The devil is in the details,” said Wes Gillingham, program director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, the Sullivan-based environmental group.Click here for the complete article
September 24, 2009, The River Reporter: Calling on Congress – 160 groups support the FRAC Act nationwide Local groups pushing for increased regulation of gas drilling in the Upper Delaware Valley have gained high profiles in recent months; groups such as Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, Catskill Mountainkeeper and Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy have often found their way into the news. Click here for the complete article
September 21, 2009, CityLimits.org: City wants answers, input on upstate drill plan Catskill Mountainkeeper, working in concert with over 20 other environmental organizations, is urging the DEC to extend the period for public comment beyond the regular 30-day window. Click here for the complete article
September 19, 2009, Times Herald Record: Senators’ Views Could Hurt Casino Chances“This is a very important letter for us in trying to stop these things,” said Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, among several environmental groups opposing casinos.”Click here for the complete article
September 17, 2009, The River Reporter: Gas news at a glance Catskill Mountainkeeper program director Wes Gillingham will host a viewing of a film about a drilling boom in the Rocky Mountains which had wide-reaching nergative impacts on the lives of the residents. Click here for the complete article
September 17, 2009, The River Reporter: An exemption by another name “They’re stretching the truth and trying really hard to prevent the FRAC Act from becoming law.” said Wes Gillingham, program director of Catskill MountainkeeperClick here for the complete article
September 1, 2009, Times Herald Record: Gas Industry Prepares to Drill In Sullivan“Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Wes Gillingham is particularly concerned about tapping state lands for natural gas. And because gas corporations plan to lease many sites — “where it strategically enhances our existing leasehold,” Chesapeake said — environmental groups want standards to include “cumulative” impacts, not individual ones. “If Chesapeake is looking at 15 (sites) on the Delaware, how can you just do a statement for one?” asked Gillingham. “That’s the scariest aspect, the industrialization of the landscape.”Click here for the complete article
August 29, 2009, Albany Times Union: Casinos Too Risky In The Catskills – Op-Ed by Mark Izeman and Ramsay Adams“The nation’s top Indian Affairs official, Larry Echo Hawk, visited one of New York’s most scenic and ecologically distinctive regions — the Catskill Mountains — on Wednesday. He is being asked to consider two widely contrasting visions for securing economic vitality today and into the future.“ Click here for the complete article
July 10, 2009, The Times Herald Record: Sullivan County Planning Model Farm: Group Wants to Educate Public, Raise Income – “With the average age of a farmer now around 55, Wes Gillingham of the Catskill Mountainkeeper organization says bringing new blood into agriculture is important. Legislator Jodi Goodman, chairwoman of the Planning and Environmental Management Committee, said the project was taking Sullivan back to its roots, when you had to wait for cows to pass in order to cross the street. “What’s new is really what’s old,” she said.“ Click here for the complete article
July 7, 2009, The Times Herald Record: Gas Drilling Co. Begins Application: Flags Raised Over Water Withdrawal – “The prominent environmental group Catskill Mountainkeeper is dead set against the withdrawal.”We don’t want to see any at this point because there are too many unanswered questions,” says its executive director, Ramsay Adams. Those questions — about pollution and environmental destruction — are why the Department of Environmental Conservation has postponed issuing new regulations for gas drilling.” Click here for the complete article
July 2, 2009, The Times Herald Record: Sullivan County Saves Beaverkill Campground – “News of the closing had created a hubbub. The Catskill Mountainkeeper, a nonprofit environmental group, began circulating a petition on the Internet to keep the camp open. And there was a joint meeting of the chambers of commerce for Roscoe and Livingston Manor to address the economic losses small business would suffer without the campers. That got the county’s attention.”Click here for the complete article
June 24, 2009, The Ithaca Journal: Activist: Drilling in New York Needs Scrutiny – “Wes Gillingham, of event organizers Catskill Mountainkeeper, also showed aerial photos of a rural Pennsylvania drilling site that confirmed many of their fears – drilling sites and gravel pits popping up in a seemingly random pattern alongside houses, farms and churches; pipelines and access roads zigzagging across the landscape; holding ponds overflowing its potentially chemically contaminated waste water; and dozens of large freight trucks lined up in fields.”Click here for the complete article
June 4, 2009, The River Repoter: DSGEIS: Officials, organizations call for time and access – “In a similar move, Catskill Mountainkeeper and 18 other organizations have signed a letter to Governor David Paterson asking that he “direct the DEC” to schedule at least seven regional public hearings, including one in New York City, with a public comment period of no less than 60 days.”Click here for the complete article
April 15, 2009, The Earth Island Journal: Will There Be Blood? The Battle Over New York’s Marcellus Shale – “One thing that’s happened,” says Wes Gillingham, Program Director of Catskill Mountain Keeper, “is that this whole issue has awakened people to the complexity of hydro fracking and the whole issue of regulatory oversight and whether it’s adequate or not. And to the basic question of whether it can be done safely at all.”Click here for the complete article
April 10, 2009, The Oneonta Daily Star: Drilling Opponents Form Area Coalition – “David Cyr, of Delhi, said Thursday that CDOG was organized just a few days after its founding members attended a Catskill Mountainkeeper-sponsored educational forum on gas drilling, held June 26 in Walton.“ Click here for the complete article
April 2-8, 2009, The River Reporter: Krieger Signs Gas Lease – “Livingston Manor and nearby Roscoe are important trout fishing centers, with two rivers running through the area. Ramsey Adams, the executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, said that the quality of the water in the area is critical to the region, and that gas drilling is an issue that needs careful examination.“ Click here for the complete article
March 27, 2009, The Ithaca Journal: Natural Gas Forum Draws 200 People – “Wes Gillingham, program director for the Catskill Mountainkeeper, argued that neither Cayuga Heights nor the DEC can assure the public the material is safe because without knowing what to test for initially, they can’t know what they’re putting into Cayuga Lake.” Click here for the complete article
March 12-16, 2009, The River Reporter: Groups Unite for Beaverkill Campground – A meeting hosted by Catskill Mountainkeeper in Livingston Manor on March 7 drew members of various organizations who pledged to lobby officials in Albany to open the facility, which contributes to the economic health of area. Ramsey Adams of Mountainkeeper said that the closure would save the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which operates the campground, perhaps $10,000 to $15,000, but the loss to the region would be far greater. Click here for the complete article
March 10, 2009, Mid-Hudson News: Sullivan County makes offer to state to run Beaverkill – Supporters of the campground, including Catskill Mountainkeeper and local chamber of commerce in Roscoe and Livingston Manor, have said the region benefits from the tourism dollars brought in by people who stay at the campground. Click here for the complete article
March 5, 2009, Mid-Hudson News: Community groups unite to save the Beaverkill Campground, ROSCOE – The Catskill Mountainkeeper organization, the Roscoe Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of the Beaverkill are teaming up to lobby for the state to keep the Beaverkill Campground open this summer. Click here for the complete article
January 13, 2009, The Times Herald-Record: Green organizations team up in SullivanThe groups held their first meeting Thursday in Monticello. Others attending included the Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development, Catskill Mountainkeeper, The Delaware Highlands Conservancy and The Basha Kill Area Association. Representatives from the Gerry Foundation and Sullivan County Planning Department also attended. Click here for the complete article
December 3, 2008, The River Reporter: Tips on Giving Gas Drilling Testimony“Wes Gillingham, the program director for Catskill Mountainkeeper, said gas drilling could lead to a “massive industrialization of the region,” and added that many pieces are missing from the existing DSGEIS, such as a study of the impact of additional traffic on roads. Ramsay Adams, the executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, said that he hoped the testimony from residents would address some of the social issues that have come with gas drilling in other states, such as the boom-and-bust economic cycle that can occur.” Click here for the complete article
November 21, 2008, The Wayne Independent: Environmental Groups Urge Citizen Participation“The DEC will need to respond to all issues raised as part of the scoping process in some way. Individual and organized testimony will raise the issues that will help to ensure further protections for our region,” said Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. click here for the complete article
October 16, 2008, Albany Times Union: DEC to Shield Water in Gas Boom by Brian Nearing “I have serious doubts about the health of any stream or river that will be taking this fluid over time and slowly releasing it into the environment,” said Wes GIllingham, Program Director of the Catskill Mountainkeeper.click here for the complete article
September 21, 2008, New York Magazine: Got Gas? By David French “The environmental groups Riverkeeper and Catskill Mountainkeeper have demanded an all-out ban above the city’s watershed. At a special hearing on the issue two weeks ago called by City Councilman James Gennaro, Speaker Christine Quinn expressed alarm. “We can’t allow drilling to proceed until we know what the consequences will be,” she said. “We should not move forward at this time.”click here for the complete article
September, 8, 2008, The Oneonta Daily Star: Groups Urge Hold On Gas Drilling “The Catskill Mountainkeeper, a nonprofit advocacy group, has sent similar letters to the governor.“click here for the complete article
August 18, 2008, River Reporter: Beaverkill Covered Bridge Protected by Fritz Mayer “Ramsay Adams, executive director of the Catskill Mountainkeeper, said, “The Beaverkill Covered Bridge has been a focal point of community here for more than 150 years. This historic recognition will ensure that it continues to be a symbol of the Beaverkill for future generations and provide an important link in one of the state’s first Catskill campgrounds.”click here for the complete article
August 14, 2008. Queens Tribune: Gas Drilling Could Affect Drinking Water Supply by Noah C. Zuss Ramsay Adams, Executive Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, agrees. “Catskill Mountainkeeper strongly supports Council Member Gennaro’s call for a moratorium on gas drilling until a complete environmental review is completed that looks at the cumulative impacts that gas drilling in the Catskills will have not only on New York City’s drinking water but also on the Catskill region as a whole,” he said. “Anything less than a total moratorium on gas drilling in the Catskills until a cumulative environmental review is completed is imprudent.” click here for the complete article
August 13, 2008, Queens Gazette: Gennaro Warns of Threat to City Water Supply by John Toscano “The practice has been opposed by numerous environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the New York-based Riverkeepers, the Catskill Mountainkeeper, the Sierra Club and the Earthwatch Oil and Gas Accountability Project.”click here for the complete article
August 13, 2008. Times Herald Record: State Promises Strict Oversite of Gas Drilling by Steve Israel “The state will also make sure that gas companies reveal the ingredients of the fluid used in the horizontal drilling process known as fracking — a concern of environmental groups such as Sullivan County’s Catskill Mountainkeeper”click here for the complete article
August 1, 2008, The Oneonta Daily Star: More than 1,500 sign gas leases By Tom Grace “Far bigger bucks will be involved if the wells produce, but costs to municipalities will soar as well, according to Ramsay Adams, executive director of the Catskill Mountainkeeper. In late June, the environmental group held a hearing in Walton, where people from Colorado and Wyoming talked about contaminated wells, roads ruined by 30-ton rigs, and areas scarred by drilling.” click here for the complete article
July 30, 2008, The Ithaca Times: East Coast Gas Rush? By Taryn Thompson “Meanwhile, the Catskill Mountainkeeper, at catskillmountainkeeper.org, provides videos, first-hand accounts, and more information on getting organized and informed about the issues surrounding oil and gas development.” click here for the complete article
July 29, 2008, The Sullivan County Democrat: Catskill Mountainkeeper Gaining Notoriety, By Dan Hust. “The Youngsville office – staffed by Gillingham, Executive Director Ramsay Adams and Office Manager Beth Scullion – is filled with maps, brochures, newspapers and folders, representing the enormous breadth of the gas issue. Its windows look out on Route 52 and a community that will likely feel the effects of this profitable but controversial industry. Take a look at how Gillingham and Mountainkeeper view it:” click here for the complete article
July 27, 2008, The New York Times, Our Towns: The Light is Green and Yellow on Drilling “That was enough of a cautionary yellow light to placate some of those deeply worried about the environmental consequences of drilling. Assemblywoman Donna A. Lupardo, a Democrat who represents a district around Binghamton and voted against the bill, said Mr. Paterson clearly heard and responded to the environmental concerns.Others were less sure. On Friday, eight environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Wilderness Society, the Catskill Mountainkeeper and the Riverkeeper, sent Mr. Paterson a letter seeking a moratorium on drilling activity until the environmental impact statement is adopted.” click here for the complete article
July 3, 2008, The New York Times, Our Towns: A Land Rush Is Likely so a Lawyer Gets Ready“The meeting, organized by the Catskill Mountainkeeper environmental group, included both curious landowners and staunch environmentalists, many of whom wanted not to regulate gas drilling in the state, but to stop it.“
July 3, 2008, The River Reporter: Limits of Local Control: Roads, Noise, Pollution and Gas Drilling Safety Discussed, By Fritz Mayer.“The forum, which was sponsored by the Catskill Mountainkeeper and the Sullivan County Division of Planning and Environmental Management, also brought a lot of talk about the unanticipated impacts that drilling will bring.”
June 29, 2008, The New York Times, Our Towns: Gas Drillers in Race for Hearts and Land., by Peter Applebome“Most of the meetings have focused on just such issues of what landowners can do to maximize their return and control. This one, sponsored by the Catskill Mountainkeeper environmental group, featured presentations by landowners and environmental and citizens’ advocates like Jill Morrison of the Powder River Basin Resource Council in Sheridan, Wyo., and Peggy Utesch of the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance in New Castle, Colo.”
June 20, 2008, The Middletown Times Herald Record. Bill would notably impact Sullivan County: Horizontal drilling wells would be allowed for first time in N.Y., “In some ways, the existing law is probably better right now because it slows the process down a bit,” said Wes Gillingham, program director for the Catskill Mountainkeeper environmental group. “The new law opens up the opportunity for oil companies to move at a faster pace.”
July 1, 2010 Action Alert: Join us on July 14th to demand a moratorium on all gas projects in the Delaware River Watershed June 23, 2010 Action Alert : Broad Coalition Forms to Protect New York from Dangers of Fracking
June 15, 2010 Action Alert: Tell the NYS Legislature to pass a moratoruim on gas drilling using hydrofracking
Catskill Mountainkeeper News: A full featured Press Room for Catskill Mountainkeeper including print articles, tv, radio, blogs and other media featuring the Catskill Mountainkeeper as well as bio’s and photographs of the Catskill Mountainkeeper staff click here
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