Saturday October 19, 2013 about 150 people in Long Beach, NY joined the worldwide global frackdown movement. In hundreds of cities around the world, citizens gathered to try to help put an end to the dangers and hazards of hydrofracking.
Our local edition met on the newly rebuilt Long Beach Boardwalk to stand against fracking and help send a resounding “no” to the proposed Liquified Natural Gas port off our barrier island.
Nassau Legislator David Denenberg spoke saying we can not “Compromise our environment so some can make record profits.”
He went on to say “We don’t need Port Ambrose, fracking or it’s waste near Nassau County”.
Outspoken environmental watchdog Adrienne Esposito of Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment had much to say.
“Remember when public need was greater than corporate greed?
“We want clean energy. Is that too much to want?”
“Governor Cuomo comes to Long Island to meet people with power and influence. We the people have power and influence. Why isn’t he speaking to us?”
She had appropriate harsh words for climate change deniers:
“When did science become a faith based system? The impacts are real. What we have felt and experienced is all too real.”
Next up was long time clean water advocate, Claudia Borecky, representing the Coalition of Nassau Civic Associations (CONCA).
“I do not want to see tankers over 1/5 mile long off our shore. Fracking is the quickest way for these foreign companies to make money on our natural gas.”
“There is a wind turbine a few miles from here. That’s the way we need to go,” said Victor Perez from Food and Water Watch . “Pennsylvania is the epicenter of fracking. There, companies destroy the water wells and their answer is to give you a water filtration system for your home.
“If we allow fracking in New York we won’t know what chemicals are being used. We have to preserve our aquifers and drinking water.”
Representing New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) was Nassau Community College student Sandy Mancilla, She did some math:
EACH gas well requires
400 tanker trucks of supplies
up to 8 million gallons of water.
400,000 gals of chemicals per well.
500,000 wells
“If we took all the active wells, we are using 72 trillion gallons of water.”
“During the process methane gas and those chemicals are leeching into our water. Methane concentrations are 17 times higher in drinking water near these areas. ”
She said of the waste water and chemicals used: “Only 30-50% is ever cleaned up. The hazards are not worth the risk.”
Outspoken NY State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg spoke
“We have to get involved. Water is the most important resource – we cannot have a process that threatens the health of us and our children.”
Matthew Kearns spoke for Sierra Club Long Island.
He said we need offshore wind “to make Long Island a future leader in renewable energy.”
“Sierra Club believes its time we enable the choice (to let wind and sun) power our lives and it’s time to ban fracking now!”
Ron Kerlov of the NY Green Party spoke:
“If one of our citizens poisons another that’s a crime. When a corporation poisons citizens it is a crime, too.”
“We are for a ban on fracking and criminalization of its poisons.”
You can get involved by joining any of the groups involved, including the Central Long Island Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, who did much behind the scenes organizing.
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