“Our examination…uncovered no evidence that fracking can be practiced in a manner that does not threaten human health,” states a blistering 266-page report released today by Concerned Health Professionals of New York and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning group, Physicians for Social Responsibility. Drawing on news investigations, government assessments and more than 1,200 peer-reviewed research articles, the study finds that fracking – shooting chemical-laden fluid into deep rock layers to release oil and gas – is poisoning the air, contaminating the water and imperiling the health of Americans across the country. “Fracking is the worst thing I’ve ever seen,” says Dr. Sandra Steingraber, one of the report’s eight co-authors, a biologist who has worked as a public health advocate on issues like breast cancer and toxic incinerators. “Those of us in the public health sector started to realize years ago that there were potential risks, then the industry rolled out faster than we could do our science.” In recent years, the practice has expanded from rural lands to backyards, farms, and within sight of schools and sources of drinking water. “Now we see those risks have turned into human harms and people are getting sick,” says Steingraber. “And we in this field have a moral imperative to raise the alarm.”
Preservation group buys land to expand Bashakill area
By Daniel Axelrod
May 21, 2018
WURTSBORO – Two recent land purchases by the Open Space Institute will link the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area in Wurtsboro to Wurtsboro Ridge, Roosa Gap and Shawangunk Ridge state forests.
The acquisitions also are important steps toward unifying the 71-mile Shawangunk Ridge Trail, from Rosendale in Ulster County to High Point State Park in New Jersey, so hikers never have to walk on private property or roads.
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More than 100 groups send plastic bag ban letter to Gov. Cuomo
May 14, 2018
Dear Governor Cuomo:
We, the undersigned, strongly support New York State enacting a comprehensive policy to curb the use of single-use bags this legislative session.
As you are aware, our organizations have worked with municipalities throughout New York to successfully enact policies that reduce disposable bag use and encourage consumers to switch to reusable alternatives. We applaud your commitment to address plastic bag pollution on a state-wide level and we want to work with your office to enact an effective, comprehensive program this year.
U.S. Supreme Court won’t save Constitution Pipeline
By Fritz Mayer
May 2, 2018
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on May 1 declined to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that would prevent the pipeline from going forward. The proposed 125-mile line would run from Pennsylvania to New York, and eventually deliver gas to New York City, Westchester and other communities.
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Capitol Pressroom
By Tim Williams
May 2, 2018
The Constitution Pipeline was dealt another legal hit this week by the U.S. Supreme Court. We discussed the Supreme Court’s decision to deny a hearing on the pipeline and the effect this will have on New York with Earthjustice staff attorney Moneen Nasmith and Wes Gillingham, co-founder and Program Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper.
View full podcast here.
New York prevails on natural gas pipeline denial
By Brian Nearing
May 1, 2018
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider an appeal from developers of the proposed Constitution pipeline, who last summer lost a lower federal court challenge to a state ruling that blocked the pipeline.
The highest court let stand a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit rejecting Constitution's claims that the state Department of Environmental Conservation unfairly denied critical water quality permits in April 2016.
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Constitution Pipeline's New York route thwarted again, this time by U.S. Supreme Court
By Jeff Platsky
May 1, 2018
Another court appeal and another loss for Constitution Pipeline sponsors.
The U. S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an attempt to overturn a lower federal district court decision that allowed New York to shoot down the project because of environmental concerns.
Constitution Pipeline was scheduled to transport gas from the newly fracked natural gas deposits in northeastern Pennsylvania to a hub southwest of Albany.
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Beaverkill Covered Bridge Restoration
Catskill Mountainkeeper was a key community partner in advocating for the restoration of the iconic Beaverkill Covered Bridge, which was showcased in this really great article from the April 2018 issue of New York State Conservationist Magazine.
Mountainkeeper: DRBC misleads public with underreported comment numbers
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Rafters and boaters on the Upper Delaware (File photo by Anya Tikka)
National environmental organizations, anti-fracking groups, community organizations, and residents announced today (April 10) that their members had submitted at least 40,000 comments to the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) in support of a full ban on fracking and all drilling-related activities, including wastewater treatment and water withdrawals. The coalition also submitted a letter signed by 126 groups, representing millions of members, making the same demand.
New York moving to protect private forests, support forest products industry
March 19, 2019
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today highlighted Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s proposed Empire Forest for the Future Initiative (EFFI) at Forestry Awareness Day, an event hosted by the Empire State Forest Products Association at the State Capital. EFFI is a multi-part program under Governor Cuomo’s proposed 2018-19 Executive Budget with the goal of protecting and enhancing the health, quality, and sustainability of trees and forests across New York State.
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‘The Harms of Fracking’: New Report Details Increased Risks of Asthma, Birth Defects and Cancer
Flares burning at fracking industry site on federal land near Counselor, New Mexico, where environmental groups and indigenous people are fighting back against the expansion of the fracking industry.
Julie Dermansky
