Marcellus Shale - The Impact of Natural Gas Drilling

Catskill Mountainkeeper Co-Sponsored Two Educational Forums

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 

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 Forums took place on Thursday, June 26 at the Walton Theater in Walton, NY, Delaware County and June 27th at the Liberty Highschool in Liberty, NY in Sullivan County.  The purpose of these educational forums was to cover these issues and offer case examples.
To view the panelists, please click here.

To read the article about the Walton Forum in the New York Times
Click Here

Radio station hosts on-air gas drilling forum

July 01, 2008

Thunder 102 morning show hosts, Mike Sakell and Paul Ciliberto of Sakell & Ciliberto in the Morning hosted a special live on-air forum on natural gas drilling in Sullivan County from 7 - 9 Tuesday night.

Among the guests were Sullivan County Planning Commissioner William Pammer, Legislator Jody Goodman, Wes Gillingham, program Director for Catskill Mountainkeeper and Peter Gozza, President and CEO for the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development.  See the article here


**UPDATE** NYRI filing again ruled incomplete; needs info on studies, ordinances   

The Public Service Commission has again found “deficiencies” in New York Regional Interconnect’s proposal for a 190-mile-long power line that would stretch from Utica to New Windsor and cut through Orange and Sullivan Counties. The PSC this week told NYRI it didn’t provide enough information on the supplement to its February filing, which itself was needed because the PSC found NYRI’s original 2006 application lacking.
Now the PSC wants more information on such matters as impact studies, local ordinances and historic structures along the route. Until the application is complete, the PSC won’t officially begin the review process or hold public hearings on the 10-story-tall line.
The state’s notice of deficiencies follows a similar notice from the federal government after NYRI applied for a reimbursement of its costs – to be paid by ratepayers.  Click here for the Times Herald Record story by Steve Israel, July  28, 2008.

Please join Mountainkeeper to keep updated on this issue.

Mountainkeeper leads Trek from Mountaintop to Tap

   
This past summer Wes Gillingham, Program Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, led twelve students along a three week trek from the Catskill Mountains to New York City.  The students traveled the same path their drinking water did so they could tell their fellow New Yorkers about the journey their water takes.  There were six students from an upsate school and six students from a school in Brooklyn whose mission was to educate the public about the source of their drinking water.  The students hiked, canoed and boated their way through the Catskill Mountains along the Hudson River and into Central Park.  Along the way, the students assessed the quality of the water in streams, rivers, and reservoirs, talked to public officials and hosted press conferences to share with the public, from the trenches, what they learned.

Click Here to View the Trek Video
Click Here to View Other Mountainkeeper Videos


Our Mission

To protect the ecological integrity of the Catskill Mountain Region and the quality of life of all those who live here. Through a network of concerned citizens, we work to promote sustainable economic growth and the protection of natural resources essential to healthy communities.



Our office is located on Route 52 in Youngsville. 
The mailing address is:

Catskill Mountainkeeper
P.O. Box 381
Youngsville, NY 12791
845.482.5400

 
For more info email us at:  info@catskillmountainkeeper.org 

Join our Discussion Boards and Social Networking Sites

Local County Fair Information

Check out Mountainkeeper's newest feature!


Other News and Information
  • Everything you wanted to know about bluestone in the Catskills in this New York Times article by Anthony DiPalma. May 13, 2008 Read it here
  • Program Director Gives Talk at Hartwick College
  • Find out about invasive species and how to protect our streams and rivers
  • USS Catskill was a 1335-ton warship that fought extensively in the Civil War
  • Did the DEC release big flies to eat the caterpillars?  NO.  Find out here
  •  

    Working Together to Protect the Catskills

    Help us protect the Catskills, join Catskill Mountainkeeper today, membership is free!

     

    * Protect the region's ecosystem

    * Contest unsustainable development

    * Protect farmland and open space

    * Support a grassroots constituency

"Living in the scenic Catskill Mountains allows us to enjoy the outdoors in so may ways.  As hunters, fishermen, farmers, sport enthusiasts, business owners and residents we are concerned about and responsible for preserving the Catskills for future generations."

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION TODAY