Great news in New York; Obama needs heat; LOVE today

Granted, that’s an odd headline. But with the shale country news coming faster, and more mixed, than ever before, we are mixing it up in this post.

No More Toxic Secrets: “Corbett LOVES Fracking” Action Today

“LOVE today” means: cold rain or snow, come what may, we are still on for the “Corbett LOVES Fracking” action, today at LOVE Park in Philadelphia from 4:30 to 5 pm. Protecting Our Waters, Food and Water Watch and Delaware Riverkeeper Network join together on the one-year anniversary of the signing of Act 13, urging that it be overturned. We oppose its stripping of municipal rights, its gag order on physicians, its lack of protection for Pennsylvanians living in shale country and downstream.  We call for a moratorium instead. We also demand that impact fees already gathered not be hijacked, but be used to provide clean replacement water for 30 families in Butler County; Max Chisolm and many more in Bradford County; Tammy Manning and many more in Susquehanna County, and everywhere impacted people live.

Speakers include Dr. Walter Tsou, Reverend Jesse Brown, and Delaware Riverkeeper’s Tracy Carluccio.

Water is life. Read all about the action — the what, where, why, and deep background — here: Breaking News and Toxic Secrets: Groups Oppose Act 13 on the 13th.

State of the Union

“Obama needs heat” means that President Obama’s actions must start living up to his rhetoric, and it’s going to take a mega-ton of heat to make that happen. That heat has to come from all of us — or we’re going to get hotter and hotter on a planet filling up with greenhouse gas emissions coupled with hot air.

Protecting Our Waters Campaign Coordinator Eric Peters, while not the least bit surprised by Obama’s tack, wrote this:

The State of the Union was a major disappointment. Lofty rhetoric on climate change interspersed with calls for more oil and gas drilling? Obama’s promise to cut through red tape (regulations) and speed up new oil and gas permits is an absolute slap in the face to the impacted residents of shale country, Appalachian coalfields, and beyond.

Moments after the State of the Union address ended the Marcellus Shale Coalition released this congratulatory statement.

If President Obama is serious about tackling climate change he can start by stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline. All out on Feb 17 in DC because ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS!

Major Victory in New York: Public Health Matters

“Great news in New York” means: We did it! The combined forces of scores of New York organizations and sectors, especially the stepped up efforts of health professionals and a growing youth movement, New York Youth Against Fracking – have led NY Health Commission er Shah to further delay any lifting of the New York moratorium, in order to study health impacts.  

Read all about it in the New York Times: Cuomo delays decision on gas drilling as health study continues.

Magic didn’t make this victory happen. Truth, courage, and extremely hard work made it happen. All the Pennsylvania shale country residents speaking out must be proud, although devastated that New York officials are studying health impacts while Pennsylvania’s Department of Health doesn’t even track gas drilling-related health complaints.  To change that now:

Call the number below and ask two questions. One: what is the ONE phone number that ALL Pennsylvania residents who are experiencing gas drilling-related health impacts now or on the past few years, should call to make sure DOH records those impacts and documents them thoroughly?  Two: when will the PA Department of Health do a Health Impacts Assessment on the life-cycle impacts from high-volume shale gas drilling?

Most health impacts won’t show up for years and decades. Fracking impacts will last for centuries. Urge DOH to call for a moratorium and to conduct a Health Impact Assesment.

Call the Secretary of the PA Department of Health (717) 787-6436

Because a victory in New York is awesome. But what are we in the rest of shale country, chopped liver?

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