150-Mile Rally/Walk for Main Street Not Wall Street tomorrow 10 am in front of NY Stock Exchange-- join us!...

Hi all...

Just interviewed on WFUV 90.7 FM by Iris Park; NYC media market finally crackin' a bit-- come out if you can
to join us for our kickoff Rally for Main Street Not Wall Street tomorrow 10 am in front of the NY Stock Exchange
at 11 Wall Street to start my 150-mile Walk for Main Street Not Wall Street-- from NYC to NYS Legislative Office
Building in Albany!...

Thanks much to 206 of you from all over the state who have endorsed on Facebook my run for Governor; join us!...
[ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=124328517596388&ref=mf ("Joel for New York") ]

[strong endorsements also from 50+ as well at http://www.petitiononline.com/joel4ny ; sign on there too;
Dems across NY gathering petition signatures-- http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/06/test- help us!]

I'm walking 150 miles over the next ten days to build even more support for a millionaires tax and at least partial re-implementation of small stock transfer tax on Wall Street to balance the budget-- and cut OUR taxes!...

Recall June 11th Albany Times-Union: by 4-to-1 ratio voters across NY want tax on millionaires/Wall St.;
click here to see: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=940073&category=STATE .

2003 poll showing NY voters for stock transfer tax by 3-to-1 ratio: http://www.petitiononline.com/stocktax .

Fact: Cuomo has already made clear that he’s opposed to “any new income taxes on the wealthy”—yet his own 250-page plan for NYS (on his website) admits that “New York faces budget gaps of $30 billion over the next three fiscal years, even after closing budget gap of approximately $9 billion for fiscal year beginning April 1, 2010”-- meaning massive budget cuts from Cuomo over next four years would come.

We'll be walking in solidarity with Better Choice Budget coalition-- in strong support of re-implementation of a tiny stock transfer tax on Wall Street-- NYS AFL-CIO, NYSUT, CSEA, PEF, AFSCME, NY Jobs with Justice, Dutchess Outreach, NYS Library Association, NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NY Statewide Senior Action Council, NYS Alliance for Retired Americans, Interfaith Alliance of NYS, Interfaith Impact of NYS, Sierra Club, Environmental Advocates, Citizen Action, NYS Community Action Association, and many more-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org for much more info on all this.

[note-- one of the goals of my walk through NYC, Hudson Valley, Capital District for this is to start the work of putting together Better Choice towns, cities, and villages throughout New York State-- made up of individuals from all of those groups above (and others who agree); let us know if you'd like to help organize your community to start a Better Choice chapter there!...(for years my organization-- the Real Majority Project-- has been a part of the Better Choice Budget coalition]

Fact: A stock transfer tax has been collected on Wall Street since 1915-- but for the last three decades the monies collected have been given right back to the greedy speculators on Wall Street who destroyed our economy to begin with; at this point we're talking about literally $16 billion that's collected annually! All the Better Choice Budget Coalition suggests is that just one penny of current five-cent tax that's now collected on sale of all stocks over $20 not be rebated back to Wall Street ($4 billion of $16 billion collected each year)-- for more on this see my effort-- http://www.petitiononline.com/stocktax .

Fact: Wall Street made $61 billion in profits last year, besides $20 billion in cash bonuses (Crain's).
[see: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100328/FREE/303289966 ]

Fact: The May 27th New York Times editorial ("Budget Problems in New York and Mr. Cuomo") took Cuomo to task for his smoke-and-mirrors unrealistic approach to solving NY's budget crisis that throws little but "red meat to angry taxpayers"-- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/opinion/27thu4.html .

Fact: FDR didn't get us out of the Depression with budget cuts, layoff, and union-busting; unfortunately, neither Cuomo nor Paterson nor Lazio seem to get this-- why I'll be walking 150 miles starting tomorrow.

Ain't no power like the power of the people 'cause the power of the people don't stop!...(say wha?)...

Joel Tyner
Four-term Dutchess County Legislator for Rhinebeck and Clinton
cell: 845-444-0599
joeltyner@earthlink.net

[$ needed!....send what you can to "Joel for New York" at 324 Browns Pond Rd. Staatsburg, NY 12580!]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here's tentative schedule for 150-mile "Walk for Main Street Not Wall Street" I'll be leading; join me!...

[will be stopping for press conferences in front of schools, hospitals, town halls, city halls, libraries, etc.]

-- Sat. June 26th: press conference in front of New York Stock Exchange (11 Wall Street/NYC)

-- Sun. June 27th: press conf.'ss walking north through Bronx in front of underfunded institutions

-- Mon. June 28th: Westchester Co.(Yonkers, Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Sleepy Hollow schools)

-- Tues. June 29th: Westchester Co. (Ossining, Croton-Harmon, Hendrick Hudson, Peekskill schools)

-- Weds. June 30th: Putnam County (in front of Putnam Valley and Haldane schools)

-- Thurs. July 1st: Dutchess County (Beacon, Wappingers, Poughkeepsie schools, Vassar/St. Francis)

-- Fri. July 2nd: Dutchess County (in front of Arlington, Hyde Park, Rhinebeck, Red Hook schools)

-- Sat. July 3rd: Columbia County (in front of Germantown, Hudson, Kinderhook schools)

-- Sun. July 4th: Rensselaer County (Schodack/Castleton, East Greenbush, Rensselaer schools)

-- Mon. July 5th: Albany (in front of New York State Legislature buildings and Governor's Mansion)

In my fourth term in the Dutchess County Legislature representing Rhinebeck and Clinton, I know the taxpayers of Dutchess can ill afford any more property tax hikes, sales tax hikes, budget cuts, or layoffs that will only exacerbate the current recession; click on these links for more on my efforts:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/SaveDuCo ; http://www.petitiononline.com/stopcuts -- and, given Wall Street's record profits last year, ridiculous that schools in Dutchess County are forced to shut down.

These recent two from the New York Times ridicule GOP-lite policies of Dems like Cuomo:

Paul Krugman's column in Friday's New York Times: "That 30's Feeling"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/opinion/18krugman.html

Bob Herbert's column in Tuesday's New York Times "Unfazed by Reality" http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/15/opinion/15herbert.html

Fact: Millionaires in NYS now pay only 8% of their income in state/local taxes; middle class pays 11%.
[see: http://www.itepnet.org/wp2009/ny_whopays_factsheet.pdf ; property/sales taxes have skyrocketed]

Fact: Millionaires used to pay 15.5% NY income tax rate in early 70's; they now pay less than 9%.
[see: http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/taxhistory2.htm ]

Fact: 98% of small business owners in the U.S. make less than $250,000/year (Wall Street Journal).
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/oct/16/barack-obama/most-small-businesses-wont-be-subject-to-obamas-ta/

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[recall this article from June 11th Albany Times-Union-- confirms my campaign represents majority!]

From http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=940073&category=STATE ...

Survey: Tax rich to save schools
State teachers union poll reveals public backs shift of burden to wealthy

By RICK KARLIN,  Capitol bureau
First published in print: Friday, June 11, 2010

ALBANY -- Message to incumbents: Raising taxes could be good for your political health. That's right, good, at least if it's a tax hike for the wealthiest of New Yorkers.

Those are the findings from a poll the state teachers union, New York State United Teachers, recently commissioned.

The union surveyed voters in three swing districts and asked them whether they would be more or less likely to vote for their representatives if they supported a millionaire's tax as a way to avert deep education cuts.

In all three districts, voters by a 37-18 point margin said they'd be more apt to support their lawmakers if they moved to raise taxes for the wealthy if it meant saving their schools from budget cuts.

Two temporary income tax hikes were included in the survey: An additional 1 percent for those earning more than $1 million and 2 percent for incomes over $5 million.

The state's top income tax bracket is 8.97 percent so the rate cited in the survey would go up to 9.97 and 10.97 percent respectively.

Critics might argue that the poll narrowly defines the terms under which a tax hike for the rich would be palatable for voters.

But it's the latest example of how, behind the scenes, various interest groups are continuing to look at a temporary high-end income tax hike to help deal with the state's $9.2 billion deficit, despite statements by most politicians that they don't want to raise taxes.

The voters surveyed were in districts represented by Democratic Senators Brian Foley, in Long Island's Third District and William Stachowski in Buffalo's 58th. The polling firm, Hart Research Associates, also queried voters in the 138th Assembly District in Niagara County held by Democrat Francine DelMonte.

Those districts are contested. Long Island has been a traditional GOP stronghold and it's no secret that Senate Republicans would like to have Foley's seat, which he won in 2008, back in their corner. Stachowski has been targeted by Republicans who believe he's beatable, and DelMonte faces a primary challenge from a former Niagara Falls City Council member.
All three know about the survey, which hasn't been publicized by NYSUT.

The union stresses that its not trying to influence these particular lawmakers, but was instead trying to take measure of how voters in bellweather districts would view a high-end income tax surcharge. That in turn, could provide insight into whether such a plan would fly among the bulk of lawmakers.

In those districts, 56 percent said they "strongly" favor the $1 million/$5 million tax hike compared to 14 percent who "strongly" oppose it.

Voters also favor taxing Wall Street banks and investment firms based on the size of their bonuses.

But lawmakers who are looking at a tax hike are said to be focusing more on personal income taxes because they believe banks and investment firms would figure out ways to avoid the increase.

The idea of an income tax increase has been something of a constant theme that's been just below the surface in the ongoing saga of the 72-day-late state budget.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, according to earlier reports, had pushed for an increase on incomes above $1 million but Gov. David Paterson has said he's against the idea, noting they already raised taxes last year, and it didn't generate the revenue they had hoped for.

Then, some Senate Democrats quietly floated an increase on those earning more than $5 million.
Republicans have said they would oppose any tax hikes.

Indeed, most Democrats publicly say they are against tax increases. There have been a few exceptions, though. Sen. Pedro Espada, D-Bronx, who has threatened to derail the fragile week-by-week temporary spending bills lawmakers are passing until they complete the 2010-11 budget, on Monday called for a millionaire's tax.

And last month, Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, D-Manhattan, also called raising taxes on those earning $1 million or more.

How many New Yorkers earn that amount?

In 2007, there were 44,713 New Yorkers who filed returns for incomes at or above $1 million, according to research from the Fiscal Policy Institute, a labor-backed think tank that favors the increase. They estimate approximately 4,800 people earned $5 million or more. Those numbers may have fallen since the recession, began, though.

The bulk of these earners live in New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Putnam counties, said James Parrott, the Fiscal Policy Institute's deputy director and chief economist.

"It's basically a downstate tax," he said of the potential increase.

Overall, 8.1 million people filed income tax returns in 2007.

Parrott added that he believed the concept was still being actively pursued among lawmakers. "It does seem like it's being considered."

#################################################

From Ron Deutsch of the Better Choice Budget Coalition: mkd67@aol.com

[aka, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness; see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org ]

Subject: 100 Faith Leaders Urge State Leaders to Explore Revenue Options

Date: Jun 17, 2010 12:37 PM

News from New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness

For more information contact: Robb Smith, Interfaith impact of NYS (518) 441-3231 (cell)
100 Faith Leaders Urge State Leaders to Explore Revenue Options

An Open Letter from New York's Religious Leaders to Governor David Paterson the Leaders of the New York State Legislature

ALBANY, NY (06/17/2010)(readMedia)-- Over 100 New York faith leaders signed on to an open letter to the legislature urging them to support a budget that protects families and public services in NYS. The faith leaders are concerned that our leaders are making cuts to vital public services that will drive families deeper into poverty, diminish their chances for a quality education and affect their ability to access affordable healthcare.

"Governmental budgets are fundamentally moral documents. They express the collective values of the community," said the Rev. Dr. Richard S. Gilbert, President of Interfaith Impact of NYS. "I urge passage of a budget that fairly funds health, welfare and education especially, even if it means an increase in state revenues. Certainly this wealthy state can afford to fund services for the poor, our children and those who need health care."

In an already struggling economy, cuts will continue to weaken the state and have devastating effects on working class families. The proposed cuts would further endanger community healthcare institutions, put our children at risk by underfunding our schools, and put families at risk by increasing layoffs and diminishing access to the social services that provide a critical safety net for New Yorkers struggling to survive through these hard times.

"Scriptures from all faiths are united in one over-arching principle: compassion for the oppressed," stated Rev. Caspar Green of First Baptist Church in Glens Falls. "People of faith must take action to see that universal values of human dignity and worth are not an afterthought in the final budget discussions."
"At a time of recession and hardship, we need to see our state's leaders working diligently with a vision for unity and the common good," said Rev. Dr. Victor Collier of Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Albany, "Sadly, we have seen no sign of that sort of statesmanship so far. As someone who honors the call of God for compassion and justice, I urge state lawmakers to renew their efforts to find common ground and bring swift and needed relief to the poor through the state budget."

New York can implement a just and sensible policy package that will help set working families and New York State back on track. Reasonable measures should include asking those with the most means in our state to help those with the least. Equitable options should include asking the financial sector to help as they have just benefited and recovered from our bail out assistance, instituting new income tax brackets for millionaires; and closing tax loopholes that allow large, highly profitable corporations to avoid taxation.

These sensible measures should significantly reduce the need for more public service cuts and even more job losses.
# # #
Permalink: http://readme.readmedia.com/100-Faith-Leaders-Urge-State-Leaders-to-Explore-Revenue-Options/1456428

Attachments:
Letter from over 100 Clergy members: http://app.readmedia.com/news/attachment/16566/Faithfairbudgetsign0616.doc

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4103 -- even more rationale for Tyner's primary run here...

Inventing a Nation of Deficit Hawks
WaPo, NYT misread polls on public and spending

6/24/10

Fact: As FAIR noted (FAIR Blog, 5/19/10), recent surveys from CBS/New York Times and NBC/Wall Street Journal asked voters to rank problems facing the country. Unemployment was more important by a spread of 49 percent to 5 percent in the CBS/NYT poll, 35 percent to 20 percent in the NBC/WSJ survey, and 47 percent to 15 percent from a recent Fox poll.

Fact: One recent Gallup survey (6/17/10), for example, found that 60 percent of the public approved of "additional government spending to create jobs and stimulate the economy." One of the few polls to ask people to choose between jobs and the deficit directly (CBS/NYT, 4/5-12/10) found 50 percent agreeing that "the federal government should spend money to create jobs, even if it means increasing the budget deficit," with 42 percent choosing deficit-reduction over job-creating stimulus.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Extensive media coverage from literally all over NYS on my primary run...

"Tyner Plans 150 Mile Walk To Promote Campaign" [WAMC 6/8/10]
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1660313/WAMC.New.York.News/Tyner.Plans.140.Mile.Walk.to.Promote.Campaign.

"Tyner Walking for His Candidacy" by Jimmy Vielkind [Albany Times-Union]
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/27980/tyner-walking-for-his-candidacy/ ;
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=939163&category=state

"Challengers Take On Established Democrats" by Nicholas Reisman [Rochester Democrat & Chronicle]
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100613/NEWS01/6130324/1002/NEWS

"Tyner Challenging Cuomo for Governor" [Poughkeepsie Journal 5/28/10]
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100528/NEWS01/100527044/Tyner-challenging-Cuomo-for-governor

"Dutchess Legislator Tyner to Run for Governor" [Daily Freeman 5/26/10]
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/05/26/news/doc4bfd04df006a6261222025.txt

"Tyner Takes On HydroFracking" [WAMC Northeast Public Radio yesterday]
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1667066/WAMC.New.York.News/Tyner.Takes.On.Hydrofracking.

"Candidate Tyner Takes To the Road Over Hydrofracking" [MidHudsonNews.com yesterday]
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/June/24/Tyner_walk-24Jun10.html

"Gubernatorial Candidate Set to Walk for Water" by Tom Grace [The Daily Star Tuesday]
http://thedailystar.com/localnews/x336266498/Gubernatorial-candidate-set-to-walk-for-water

Your News Now TV network has covered Joel's campaign extensively all over the state
http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/headlines/508733/no-love-for-the-left/
http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/505963/tyner-running-for-governor/ ;
http://centralny.ynn.com/content/all_news/506083/tyner-begins-long-shot-run-for-governor/ :
http://elmira-corning.ynn.com/ ; http://twitter.com/ynnalbany ; http://binghamton.ynn.com/ ;
http://capitaltonight.com/2010/05/here-and-now-33/

"Tyner To Run for Governor" [MidHudsonNews.com 5/26/10]
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/May/26/Tyner_gov-26May10.html

"Working Class Water Supply Threatened by Business Interests" [Huffington Post 6/20/10]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wires/2010/06/20/working-class-water-suppl_ws_618902.html

"A Progressive for New York?" by Douglas Smyth [Daily Kos 6/4/10]
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/6/4/873044/-A-Progressive-for-NY

rally Mon. with folks from CSEA, WFP, UUP in Albany for Better Choice Budget solutions!...

Hi all...

If you can, please join yours truly Monday 12:30 pm in Albany @ West Capitol Park-- along with Karen Wilson, a CSEA local chapter secretary, Dennis Karius of UUP (United University Professions), and Jim Welch of the Working Families Party for a press conference/rally at West Capitol Park (across from NYS Legislative Office Building, between State Street and Washington Street, with speakers on steps that lead up to Swan Street)-- for the Better Choice Budget for New York-- to fully fund education, health care, and environmental protection without hurting state employees and making our current recession worse (see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org ; call state legislators and Paterson this week on this toll-free on NYS AFL-CIO action line-- 877-255-9417)!...

As the June 11th Albany Times Union pointed out, a recent statewide poll commissioned by NYSUT found that by a 4-to-1 ratio that the vast majority of New Yorkers want millionaires to pay a bit more of their fair share of income taxes in order to balance the state budget and stop the cuts and property tax hikes; the poll also found a majority of NY'ers still support a tax on Wall Street (as opposed to rebating back to Wall Street the full $16 billion annually now collected in stock transfer tax revenue, as is now done):
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=940073&category=STATE ...

Unfortunately, Cuomo has already made clear he's opposed to "any new income taxes on the wealthy"-- yet his own 250-page plan for NYS (on his website) admits that "New York faces budget gaps of $30 billion over the next three fiscal years, even after closing budget gap of approximately $9 billion for fiscal year beginning April 1, 2010" (meaning massive budget cuts from Cuomo to come)...

Fact: NYSUT and other members of the Better Choice Budget coalition all strongly support a fairer and more progressive income tax system here in NYS-- and at least partial re-implementation of a stock transfer tax on Wall Street (along with NY'ers by 3-to-1 ratio according to 2003 poll as well)-- Dutchess Outreach, NYS Library Association, NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NY Statewide Senior Action Council, NYS Alliance for Retired Americans, Interfaith Alliance of NYS, Interfaith Impact of NYS, Sierra Club, Environmental Advocates, Citizens Environmental Coalition, Citizen Action, NY Children's Action Network, NY Jobs with Justice, NYS AFL-CIO, CSEA, PEF, AFSCME, NYS Community Action Association, NYS Episcopal Public Policy Network, NYS Child Care Coordinating Council, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, Public Utility Law Project, Center for Working Families, Class Size Matters, Coalition for After-School Funding, Fiscal Policy Institute, Hunger Action Network of NYS, and many more-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org ...

FDR didn't get us out of Depression with budget cuts, layoff, and union-busting (unfortunately neither Cuomo nor Paterson nor Lazio seem to get this)...

[pass it on!]

Joel
845-444-0599
joeltyner@earthlink.net

p.s. don't forget-- house party tonite 6 pm in Millbrook with fab foodies-- at home of Dana Tompkins!...(73 College Lane-- 12545)....

parade tomorrow for Rhinebeck Hawks softball team-- girls state champs second year in a row!...

[big-time kudos to Rhinebeck Hawks softball coach Steve Boucher-- and thx much to Lou Turpin, Carol Ferry, Karen Hatter, Chrissy Eighmy, et. al. for spreading word of this below!...(scroll down a bit to see copy of 28 commendations I'll be presenting at tomorrow's ceremony after parade to 24 team members and 4 coaches, as last year)...Joel]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From: SOARHAWKS@aol.com

Subject: PARADE to Celebrate Rhinebeck Softball's STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Friday, June 18!

Parade of Champions
Celebrating Rhinebeck's
State Champions
Rhinebeck Hawks Softball

Friday, June 18, 5:30pm

Champions, Fire Trucks, Music, Dignitaries, and MORE!

Parade Route: Platt Avenue west to Montgomery St. (Rt. 9) south to East Market St. east to South Parsonage St. south to High School.

Streets will be open to traffic, so the best viewing will be on the west side of Montgomery (Rt. 9) and the south side of East Market St., particularly near the Fire House and Village Hall.

Presentation Celebration & Community Picnic immediately following the Parade outside on the east side of the High School!

Picnic is free to all attendees, menu includes hot dogs, beverages, watermelon, etc.
In the event of significant rain, Presentation Celebration WILL take place in the RHS Auditorium at 6pm, but the Parade will be canceled.

HELP NEEDED with the Community Picnic!

Please bring a salad or desert to share, or volunteer to help with food preparation.
Call Picnic coordinator Karen Hatter: 876-7833, 242-3234 or KMHatter@aol.com

Congratulatory notes for any event or Team may be sent to SOARHAWKS@aol.com,
and they will be forwarded to the appropriate Coaches & Athletes.

Let's ALL Get Out and
Support Our Athletes Rhinebeck!!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[text here below of commendation I'll be presenting tomorrow to four coaches and twenty-four members of Rhinebeck Hawks softball team-- with large debt of gratitude to the Poughkeepsie Journal's Phil Strum and his article on all this from last Sunday's paper (wording below):
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100613/SPORTS01/6130348/Rhinebeck-repeats-as-Class-C-softball-champs]

WHEREAS, on June 12th, the Rhinebeck Hawks softball team broke a 1-1 tie in the state Class C semifinals with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to defeat South Lewis, 3-1; Becky Ferry drove in all three runs for Rhinebeck, including a two-run single to center field in the top of the seventh that scored Amy Mandigo and Katie Braggins, and

WHEREAS, with Ferry catching and Heather Hannaburgh at first base, the pair completed a pivotal 2-3-2 double play in the sixth inning when Megan Michie struck out a player and strike three was dropped; Ferry fired the ball to first and Heather Hannaburgh threw it back to Ferry, who tagged out a runner attempting to score from third base, and

WHEREAS, the Rhinebeck Hawks practice that particular play a lot because in the international tiebreaker, there is a runner that starts the inning on second base; Michie struck out 15 in and walked one in the semifinal, and Amy Mandigo was 4 for 4 with two runs scored, and

WHEREAS, like any good team, the Rhinebeck Hawks get contributions up and down their lineup; Katie Braggins stepped up later on Saturday in their second game, the finals; with the score tied at 1-1 in the top of the eighth inning, Braggins hit a two-out RBI single to center field that scored Olivia Rogine from second base; Katie Braggins' sister, Emily, a senior on last year's team, had the winning hit in the state semifinals against Hoosick Falls in 2009, and

WHEREAS, Rhinebeck tacked on another run when Braggins scored from third on a wild pitch; other than a two-out single by Samantha Skott, Rhinebeck got a lineout to shortstop, a flyout to left field and a pop-up to the catcher that ended what had been a pitchers' duel between Rhinebeck's Megan Michie and her opposition, and

WHEREAS, after the Hoosick Falls Panthers were up 1-0, the Rhinebeck Hawks tied the score in the sixth inning; Amy Mandigo hit an infield single and stole second, and Becky Ferry's RBI single to right field tied the score; then Hoosick Falls loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh, and

WHEREAS, true to her typically calm form, Megan Michie struck out two players to get herself and her team out of the bases-loaded jam that could have ended the game, striking out a total of 16 players, walking none, allowing only five hits, and therefore be it

RESOLVED that the Dutchess County Legislature commends, recognizes, salutes, and applauds the incredible focus, teamwork, and perseverance of Rhinebeck High School's softball team, for an unprecedented second year in a row the top Class C team in New York State, with Coach Steve Boucher and graduating seniors Amy Mandigo, Becky Ferry, Olivia Rogine, Heather Hannaburgh, Moira Nugent, and Samantha Chestney, defeating Hoosick Falls, 3-1, at Waterloo High School to win its second straight state title.

re: natural gas drilling-- join me Tues. for 60-mile walk for moratorium until Hinchey's EPA study done!...

Hi all...

Back in the summer of 2008 Sullivan County's Fred Pecora and Barrytown's George Quasha gave me an education on the horrors in store for our watersheds from natural gas drilling and hydrofracking...

I did some research and started a petition for a two-year moratorium on natural gas drilling in NYS...

Recall-- http://www.PetitionOnline.com/NoDrill -- join 900+ signed on to this if you haven't yet already...
[this issue is point #8 at my http://www.petitiononline.com/joel4ny effort; sign on if you agree, folks!]

Well-- I happen to agree with Sierra Club, Catskill Mountainkeeper, "Gasland" Director Josh Fox, and thousands of others that what is truly needed now is for the DEC to wait to issue any permitting guidelines for natural gas drilling until the federal EPA hydrofracking study (already underway) is fully completed...(join 3000+ signed on so far to their petition http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nodrilling/ !)...

[recall: Hinchey's work on this last year created EPA study http://catskillmountainkeeper.org/node/1152 ]

So-- this coming Tuesday (June 22nd) I'm inviting you all to join me for at least part of a three-day, 60-mile Walk for Water-- and a REAL Moratorium on Natural Gas Drilling Across NYS-- next Tues. (June 22nd), Weds. (June 23rd), and Thurs. (June 24th)-- from the Sullivan County Government Center at 100 North Street in Monticello (12701) to the Delaware County buildings in Delhi!...(let us know if you can join us!).

[from North St. to Jefferson St. on to Rt. 17 then Rt. 206, Co. Rt. 179/Old Rt. 17, Rockland Rd. (NY-206/Co. Rt. 91), Rt. 206, Co. Rt. 26, Hawleys-Downsville Rd., then to main county building in Delhi]

I'm for multi-year moratorium-- beyond just 1 year; why Senate Dems only consider 1 yr. on this?...see: http://www.wicz.com/news2005/viewarticle.asp?a=14621 ;
http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/blog/2010/06/Decision-day-on-drilling-moratorium-in-the-Marcellus-Shale/ !...

Fact: There are DOZENS of members of our state legislature signed on for REAL moratorium on this. [see: http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=10490-A (call Albany on this at 877-255-9417 today)
http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=S7592A why can't Cuomo, Paterson, Lazio see light on this?...kudos to Schneiderman for co-sponsoring S.7592A/A.10490A; see http://www.Schneiderman.org !]

Miss this one from Daily News Mar. 28th?...we deserve better than Cuomo's wishy-washiness on this!...
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/03/28/2010-03-28_drilling_for_andys_opinion_quietly_ag_would_ban_gas_mining_near_watersheds.html (this is also reason I'll be walking 60 miles in 3 days)...

Fact: Dutchess County's own Walter Hang of http://www.ToxicsTargeting.com has gone through the DEC's own database of hazardous substances spills over the past 30 years and found literally 270 cases AS IT IS NOW ALREADY documenting fires, explosions, wastewater spills, well contamination, and ecological damage related to gas drilling; many of these cases have gone unresolved-- contrary to repeated government assurances that existing natural gas well regulations are sufficient to protect us(!).
[recall-- http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/10/watchdog_new_york_state_regulation_of ]

Miss this?... "Pennsylvania Suspends Gas Drilling at Marcellus Rupture Site" [Phil. Inquirer June 7th]
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/business_breaking/20100607_DEP_seeking_answers_for_Marcellus_rupture.html

[see http://www.CatskillMountainkeeper.org for much, much more on this crucial environmental issue!]

Spoke w/ http://www.GaslandtheMovie.com 's Josh Fox in Millbrook June 1st @ screening; he'll be calling in soon to our WHVW 950 AM show on Saturday mornings-- stay tuned for details on this folks; note, too-- click on that website-- screening this Thurs. in Albany-- and in Sullivan County this Fri. too!...

Recall July 2008 letter to Paterson asking for statewide moratorium on all natural gas drilling-- from Sierra Club, Riverkeeper, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, NRDC, Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Wilderness Society, and Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy; click on this link for more:
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/July08/29/gasdrill_mor-29Jul08.html ...

I'm walkin'...yes indeed I'm talkin'...to save the watersheds of Catskills, Hudson Valley, NYS-- join me!...

[give me a call if you can join me for even just a piece of my three-day Walk for Water; press conf.'s too]

Pass it on...

Joel
444-0599/876-2488
joeltyner@earthlink.net

p.s. Kudos to all who came out yester day to rally against natural gas drilling @ DEC in New Paltz!...
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20100615%2FMEDIA0201%2F100619856%2F-1%2FNEWS0211

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From Catskill Mountainkeeper's http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nodrilling/ ...

WE NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW - SIGN THIS PETITION

Over 3000 people have signed our common sense petition demanding that the DEC wait to issue any permitting guidelines until the federal EPA Hydrofracking Study - which is currently underway - is completed.
SIGN THE PETITION HERE: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nodrilling/ !

Bills have been introduced in both the NY Assembly and Senate asking for a moratorium.
Here's the link to a site that has links to information on the Assembly and Senate bills, A10490 and S7592. Comments can be left at both the Assembly and the Senate links. Comments are posted after the text of the bills:

Tell NYS DEC Commisioner Grannis No Drilling Until the EPA Completes Its Study

We, the undersigned, join Catskill Mountainkeeper in calling on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to hold up issuance of their final SGEIS on gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing until they can study and integrate the conclusions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s report on gas drilling. The EPA is commencing a comprehensive research study to investigate the potential adverse impacts of hydraulic fracturing on water quality and public health.
We commend the EPA for recognizing that their 2004 report which concluded that hydraulic fracturing did not pose a threat to drinking water, did not address many conditions that are common today such as drilling in shale, and fracturing horizontally up to a mile underground which requires five times more chemical laden fluid than vertical drilling. We regret that the incomplete 2004 report was used by the Bush administration to justify exempting hydraulic fracturing from over sight under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

We know that there is absolutely no reason to fast track the drill permitting process. Gas supplies are plentiful. The U.S. Energy Information Administrations Short-Term Energy Outlook's forecast states that there are abundant inventories of natural gas and gas consumption is not on the rise. Given fracking's potential to pollute our drinking water, foul our air and spoil our land and health the New York State DEC should methodically review all pertinent information before issuing its findings.

We implore you to consider the final conclusions of the EPA's new research study before issuing the SGEIS.

Furthermore we request that you issue a second draft after you review the EPA Study so that the public can have the opportunity to comment on your findings.

Sincerely,
The Undersigned

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From http://catskillmountainkeeper.org/node/1152 ...

March 18, 2010: Press Release Hinchey on EPA Study on the Risks Hydraulic Fracturing Poses to Drinking Water Supplies
Submitted by Master Admin on Thu, 03/18/2010 - 10:44am. News Forum Discussion Boards: Read and Post Messages Here
Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tonight informed various stakeholders that it will announce tomorrow the commencement of the first phases of a comprehensive research study to investigate the potential adverse impact that hydraulic fracturing may have on water quality and public health. Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) tonight applauded the start of the EPA's study. Hinchey authored the provision that urged the EPA to conduct the study after questions were raised regarding the safety of the natural gas drilling process.

Along with Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO), Hinchey is also the co-author of the FRAC ACT -- Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, which would close the loophole that exempted hydraulic fracturing from the SDWA and require the oil and gas industry to disclose the chemicals they use in their hydraulic fracturing processes. Currently, the oil and gas industry is the only industry granted an exemption from complying with the SDWA.

"I am very pleased to learn that the Environmental Protection Agency has decided to commence a study that will examine the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to drinking water supplies in New York and across the nation. This is an important step towards ensuring that natural gas drilling is done in a way that protects our environment, vital natural resources and public health. It is also a necessary step since the EPA's 2004 study on the matter was marred by biased data influenced by senior officials in the previous administration.

"Last year, I authored a provision that was approved by Congress, which urged the EPA to conduct this study after serious questions were raised regarding the safety of the natural gas drilling process. While the production of natural gas is necessary and certainly has an important role to play in our national energy policy, it's imperative that we do everything we can to ensure our drinking water supplies are not contaminated. I applaud the EPA's decision to begin a serious investigation into this matter and will continue working to protect our environment from the chemical concoctions being pumped into the ground by energy companies. Understanding the risks that hydraulic fracturing poses to drinking water supplies is critical to guiding future policies and regulations that will safeguard the public."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From http://www.wicz.com/news2005/viewarticle.asp?a=14621 ...

[this is update to what's directly below]

Legislators Could Extend Gas Drilling Moratorium

Action by lawmakers in Albany could mean that New York's current moratorium on gas drilling could be extended for at least a year, and maybe as long as the two years that drilling opponents are recommending.

Landowners favoring gas drilling say that a newly proposed one year moratorium on drilling could actually stretch out over twice that period of time.

The State Senate's Environmental Conservation Committee has passed a measure that would prohibit the DEC from issuing drilling permits until next June 1, 2011...

The Environmental Conservation Committee says legislators need more time to consider the environmental effects of drilling.

No word on when it will be up for vote before the whole legislature.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June 14, 2010 at 10:06am
Decision day on drilling moratorium in the Marcellus Shale
By Jeremy Moule
http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/blog/2010/06/Decision-day-on-drilling-moratorium-in-the-Marcellus-Shale/

Today marks a make-or-break point in the debate over shale drilling. The State Senate's environmental committee meets at noon - the last meeting of the session - and on the agenda is a bill to establish a one-year moratorium on drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

Even if the bill passes, it's unlikely to please environmentalists, who want legislators to advance and pass a bill, S7592A, which would forbid hydrofracking until the federal Environmental Protection Agency completes a safety study. The study is expected to take several years. But that bill has been left off of the agenda. (The moratorium is not tied to the EPA study.)

This morning, the state Sierra Club chapter sent out an action alert, asking recipients to contact state senators on the environment committee and push them to pass the stronger moratorium.
The Assembly is also considering a moratorium bill, says the Sierra Club alert. That bill matches the EPA-linked Senate moratorium.

Environmental groups are pushing for the longer moratorium because the state, they say, isn't prepared for large-scale Marcellus Shale drilling. They point to Pennsylvania, where there's already hydrofracking in the shale formation and where there have been several significant problems; the most recent was a well blowout that shot fracking fluids and flames 75 feet into the air.

In Pennsylvania, the drilling started without Marcellus Shale-specific regulations in place. The irony is that some Pennsylvania residents, activists, and politicians now want a moratorium and regulation to address the issues.

In short, they want to do exactly what New York has done. The state has a moratorium in place, and it will remain in place while the Department of Environmental Conservation finalizes a new environmental statement for the drilling. But once that's done, the department will start issuing permits. It expects to finish the review this year and to begin issuing permits next year.

The argument using the "60 years old" claim is not true. The current technology used is at most 20 years old and is still in it's "guinea pig" phase, as far as we here in PA are concerned. I will hazard a guess that the "jlcny" is backed by some industry entity, due to the "information" on the site. What the "jlcny" should be doing is looking out for their landowner's safety, not the "assumed" growth of their pocketbooks. NY landowners (and non-landowners alike) please pay attention to what is happening in PA - we are not happy, our environment is getting raped and many of the former "drill, baby, drill" landowners are changing their tune now that their water has been fouled and many aren't receiving their royalties yet...

GreenGenes said on Jun. 14, 2010 at 4:45pm
Cecile Lawrence, an anti hydrofracking activist gave a great speech on the subject at the Ithaca Commons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMgcvnPscjI
She's now running for U.S Senate and would like to ban it nationally.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[OK-- this interview below with Hang may be six or so months old-- but read it-- it's right on point people]

From http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/10/watchdog_new_york_state_regulation_of ...

November 10, 2009

Watchdog: New York State Regulation of Natural Gas Wells Has Been "Woefully Insufficient for Decades."
The New York-based Toxics Targeting went through the Department of Environmental Conservation's own database of hazardous substances spills over the past thirty years. They found 270 cases documenting fires, explosions, wastewater spills, well contamination and ecological damage related to gas drilling. Many of the cases remain unresolved. The findings are contrary to repeated government assurances that existing natural gas well regulations are sufficient to safeguard the environment and public health. The state is considering allowing for gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale watershed, the source of drinking water for 15 million people, including nine million New Yorkers.

Guest:
Walter Hang, President of Toxics Targeting, an environmental database firm in Ithaca, New York.

AMY GOODMAN: We begin today with the latest developments on gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale watershed, potentially the largest natural gas reserve in the country and the source of drinking water for 15 million people, including nine million New Yorkers. On Monday, an environmental research group released government data revealing New York state regulation of natural gas wells has been, quote, "woefully insufficient for decades."

The upstate New York-based Toxics Targeting went through the Department of Environmental Conservation's own database of hazardous substances spills over the last thirty years. They found 270 cases documenting fires, explosions, wastewater spills, well contamination and ecological damage related to gas drilling. Many of the cases remain unresolved.

The findings are contrary to repeated government assurances that existing natural gas well regulations are sufficient to safeguard the environment and public health.

Well, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation didn't respond to our requests for comment. They told the Ithaca Journal, however, that spills from the oil and gas industry constituted a very small proportion of the total number of spills recorded in the past three decades, adding that such accidents are rare.

For more on this, I'm joined here in our firehouse studio by Walter Hang, the president of Toxics Targeting.

Welcome to Democracy Now!

WALTER HANG: Thank you for inviting me.

AMY GOODMAN: Now, for a national audience, let alone a New York audience, I think most people have never heard of what Marcellus Shale is.

WALTER HANG: That's right. It's this giant rock formation, very deep underground. It's about a mile deep, and it stretches from just north of Syracuse, New York, all the way to Tennessee. This is very thick impermeable rock, but it's got gas inside these tiny little pores.
So, up until now, there really hasn't been any effective way to get the gas out of the rock, because it's so deep and because it's so impermeable. But now there's a new technology. It's called "slick water hydrofracking," and it involves horizontal drilling. So they drill down, and then they drill through the rock layer, and then they force incredibly highly pressurized water that's got a lot of additives, and this fractures the rock. This then lets the gas out, and then they retrieve it.

Unfortunately, it requires tremendous amounts of water, and it's incredibly polluting. So the water that comes out of the ground has toxic chemicals, petroleum compounds, and it's actually radioactive. So up until-

AMY GOODMAN: Wait, wait, wait, wait. "It's actually radioactive." What do you mean?

WALTER HANG: Believe it or not, when the water gets drawn out of this deep rock formation, there's radon, there's uranium, so the water that comes out is radioactive, as well as toxic-contaminated. So, one of the key problems is, what do you do with all this wastewater? And that's the issue that we investigated.

So, New York has had natural gas drilling for almost 200 years, and everyone at the state government and industry level has said, "We've never had a problem. We've been drilling. It's reliable technology. No problems." When we looked at the State of New York's own data, however, we found, again, fires, explosions, huge uncontrolled releases of wastewater that went into people's drinking water, went into wetlands, streams. Many of these problems haven't been cleaned up, even after decades.

Arguably the worst case was in Freedom, New York. Someone named Dale Fox was drilling a vertical well, and he hit a gas pocket. The natural gas was incredibly pressurized. It came blasting out of this 2,000-foot-deep hole. It picked up petroleum on the way up. It shot out of the hole. The wind blew this incredibly flammable explosive mixture onto the drill rig. They had to shut off the drill rig. Then they couldn't kill the well. They couldn't stop the gas from exploding out of the well. It got in a rock fracture, and in a matter of minutes it went 8,000 feet. It contaminated twelve homes, that were evacuated. It polluted drinking water wells. It polluted drainage ditches, ponds. And it came up in this farmer's barn, where his dairy herd was. Believe it or not, more than ten years after that release, the water is still undrinkable.

And in the New York City reservoir system, the only protection would be that you can't drill a well within 300 feet, compared to this problem which went 8,000 feet. So these regulations that have been proposed by the Governor, David Paterson, are totally inadequate. And again, they're based on this false assumption that the existing regulations are adequate. And that's how come I've written to him to say, "Withdraw this proposal, look at the problems that your own Department of Environmental Conservation has documented, and come back when you have something that's actually going to assure that this drilling can be done safely and without harming public health."

AMY GOODMAN: I have seen images that you've posted on your website of water lighting up, being flammable, light-water catching fire.

WALTER HANG: This is just incredible. About a year ago-actually, a little bit more than a year ago, basically, a Vietnam vet living in Candor, New York had discovered that, even though he had lived in the same house since 1962, his water started to release gas, and he discovered that you could light it. And he was immediately east of an area where they had begun drilling. So, last January, he complained to the Department of Environmental Conservation. He said, "Hey, my water is flammable. I can light it."

AMY GOODMAN: Instead of the flame going out, it lights up.

WALTER HANG: It lights up. I mean, you will literally turn on the water, the water will start coming out of the faucet, and then it will like burp gas. And if you hold a match to it, it literally ignites.

So the incredibly shameful thing is that the Department of Environmental Conservation did not even come to look at this situation. They simply told this disabled vet, Mr. Mayer, "Don't drink the water." And that was it. And the key thing is, they said this reported problem was administratively closed out, and it met the applicable cleanup standards. They didn't do anything, but they said it met the cleanup standards. There are hundreds of similar kinds of problems where the Division of Mineral Resources in the state of New York has said, "Yep, that problem is taken care of," even though it appears that they did inadequate cleanup. And some of these problems, again, have been going on for decades.

AMY GOODMAN: When you describe, for example, the herd of cows, when you describe all the houses that had to be evacuated, what happens to these families? What happened to the cows? What happened to the water? You said that it was permanently polluted?

WALTER HANG: The day of the gas release, I asked one of the people whose wells got contaminated-I said, "How did you know that your water got polluted?" He said, "It turned black." In other words, when the gas went through this rock fracture and came up this person's well, it just blasted out the pollution in the water. You could see it was oily. It had all kinds of contamination. And he has never been able to drink it.

So, eventually the gas petered out. They hit the gas pocket. The gas was released. It came up in the ground. It was just jetting out all over this area through this fractured rock. Eventually, the gas was released, but the residual pollution has never been cleaned up.
And that's the problem all over New York. There are these problems where oil has been spilled, gas is released in uncontrolled fashion, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation has simply failed to clean up these problems. And that's how come we should not go forward with Marcellus gas horizontal, high-volume fracking, until we have an adequate regulatory program.

AMY GOODMAN: Who benefits from it?

WALTER HANG: The benefit, if we do it well, is that the natural resources will be protected, communities will be protected, people's drinking water won't be impacted-notably, the people in the City of New York, who drink water from the Catskills. There are these huge reservoirs that are above the Marcellus Shale.

If we don't do it well, then many of the biggest companies in the planet are going to save money-Chesapeake, Fortuna, Talisman, Hess. These are giant corporations. They are chomping at the bit to come to New York and to drill for this giant reserve of gas.

AMY GOODMAN: The largest possibly in the country?

WALTER HANG: That's right. The problem is it is very difficult to get out of this deep rock formation. Usually if you drill into a gas pocket, the gas just comes right back up. But this requires this incredibly polluting hydrofracking, where they pump this liquid under tremendous pressure into the rock, and it just explodes out, maybe as far as 3,000 feet, shattering the rock. And then sand gets injected into the little fractures, and they draw the gas out.

AMY GOODMAN: What happens to the water, for example, in New York, where there are millions of people, obviously, who rely on the reservoirs upstate?

WALTER HANG: Well, right now there are almost no natural gas wells in the Catskills region. Literally, a handful. But that area does have Marcellus Shale. So if they begin to drill in that area, and if they cause the same kinds of uncontrolled pollution problems that other areas of New York have experienced-notably, western New York-then the drinking water could be impacted. And once these problems develop, they're very difficult to clean up.

AMY GOODMAN: And you have states all over this country, of course, that are in dire economic shape, and so they are going to turn to any way they can make money. Is New York in that situation? And what are you doing right now?

WALTER HANG: New York, unfortunately, in the Southern Tier, in the Finger Lakes region in western New York, is in dire economic straits. These communities are just desperate for jobs. And so, it sounds so good: we're going to get this gas out, we're going to make tons of money, communities are going to benefit, the state of New York is going to benefit. Governor David Paterson has basically made this Marcellus Shale effort the linchpin of his economic development plan.

The problem is he hasn't answered those key questions. What happens when hundreds and hundreds of these hundred thousand ton trucks start pounding these structurally deficient bridges that have been neglected for decades into pieces? Who's going to pay for that? What about the roadways that are going to get destroyed? What are we going to do with all of this toxic wastewater?

Believe it or not, they were actually dumping this natural gas drilling wastewater from a vertical well in little Cayuga Heights, New York, and it was passing through this sanitary wastewater treatment plant that was not designed, constructed or maintained in any way to take out the toxics. And it was passing through into southern Cayuga Lake, which is a nationally recognized impaired water body. It's already been polluted for decades. And this added to the problems. And 30,000 people drink water from that area.

So we're looking at an impending disaster, and that's how come we're going to now try to organize all these communities to say this has to be done properly.

AMY GOODMAN: There's one public hearing today?

WALTER HANG: That's right, in the City of New York. They're going to talk about the threat to the reservoirs. And so, that's how come I'm here in New York. I'm going to talk to the Department of Environmental Conservation about these concerns.

And I've posted at toxicstargeting.com the 270 profiles. People can look at them and see, are there any major problems in my community in the Marcellus Shale region of New York?
But then we're going to have a coalition letter that people can sign onto and basically say, "Governor Paterson, we're just not ready to go forward with Marcellus Shale drilling, until we get these regulations. Don't do it. Withdraw this proposed supplemental generic environmental impact statement."

AMY GOODMAN: We only have thirty seconds, but the significance of the New York watershed, freshwater, how it comes into the city, how unusual it is in this country?

WALTER HANG: It's absolutely unique. You have these upland reservoirs, hundreds of miles away from the city, and the water flows completely under gravity through these giant tunnels. It's so pure it doesn't even need to be filtered. And so, this is a jewel. Any city in the world would give anything to have this water. That's why it has to be safeguarded. It has to be protected. Once it's polluted, then the city would have to treat that water at gargantuan cost. So Mayor Bloomberg and all the other city leaders have to unite with all the other New Yorkers who could be impacted by Marcellus Shale.

AMY GOODMAN: Walter Hang, thank you so much for being with us, president of Toxics Targeting, an environmental database firm in Ithaca, New York. The one hearing today is taking place at Stuyvesant High School?

WALTER HANG: Yes.

AMY GOODMAN: Today at 5:00?

WALTER HANG: 6:30, actually.

AMY GOODMAN: 6:30 in the evening. And we'll let people know what comes of that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/14/world_renowned_scientist_dr_theo_colborn ...

World-Renowned Scientist Dr. Theo Colborn on the Health Effects of Water Contamination from Fracking
The Environmental Protection Agency has begun a review of how the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," can affect drinking water quality. We speak to Dr. Theo Colborn, the president of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange and one of the foremost experts on the health and environmental effects of the toxic chemicals used in fracking.

AMY GOODMAN: Right now, we're turning to a health issue here in this country. Sharif?

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: That's right. We're going to look at the health impacts of natural gas drilling. As the Environmental Protection Agency begins its review of how the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," can affect drinking water quality, the gas industry is raising new objections. The Independent Petroleum Association of America told the EPA its intended research, quote, "goes well beyond relationships between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water." The findings could lead Congress to repeal an exemption that shields the fracturing process from federal regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, as the debate over shale gas drilling heats up, we're joined here in New York by Dr. Theo Colborn, zoologist and president of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange. She's one of the foremost experts on health and environmental effects of the toxic chemicals used in fracking fluid.
Welcome to Democracy Now!, Dr. Colborn.

DR. THEO COLBORN: Amy, it's great to be here with you.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, it's great to have you in our studio. Start off by explaining what fracking is. What is hydraulic fracturing?

DR. THEO COLBORN: Well, you know, you first have to drill a hole. And fracking goes one step beyond drilling the hole. In other words, the gas comes up out of the hole, but eventually you want to get more gas. And to facilitate that, there's a now technology called fracking. Actually, industry calls it "stimulating." And that's to make it more, you know, citizen-, public-wise acceptable.
But basically, it causes many earthquakes underneath the ground. They put chemicals in large amounts of fluids. Basically, if you're going to be drilling in the New York City watershed, say, you're going to be using between three and eight million gallons of water, which may be carrying tons of toxic chemicals that eventually-no one really knows where they're going to go.
Now, when they fracture, as they go down in the hole, the chemicals are added over a sequence of time, because they're put in there for various purposes. But when the little mini-explosion takes place underground, that may extend as far as 2,000 feet out from the borehole. And consequently, that extends then this ability of this fracturing process to work. Now, that's from a direct drilled pipe, and we've been using that process for years. More recently, they've gone into what they call horizontal fracturing, where as they drill the pipe down in, they bend the pipe, so that the pipe then goes off horizontally below the ground. And that can extend another 2,000 feet.
So the beauty of fracturing, of course, is that you don't have to make as many perforations on the ground, above, where the people are living, but you also have this access to maybe a radius of a mile or more around where each borehole goes into the ground.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Well, let's turn to a clip from this documentary Split Estate that investigates fracking. This clip features Weston Wilson, an environmental engineer in the EPA's Denver office. In 2004, Wilson openly questioned an EPA study that declared fracking poses little or no threat to drinking water.

* WESTON WILSON: The former chairman, CEO of Halliburton, Dick Cheney, within a few months of coming into office, and as vice president, he was pressuring the administrator of EPA, Christie Todd Whitman, to exempt hydraulic fracking from the Safe Drinking Water Act regulation.
* From my own view as a technician, I just thought it very alarming that EPA technically had described how toxic these materials are-toxic at the point of injection-and still come out with a summary that says they don't need to be reported or regulated. And that led me, in the fall of '04, to object on technical grounds. Then the inspector general of EPA began an investigation of my complaints.
* And several months into that, Congress took the report from EPA saying that fracking did not present a risk, along with other information, and exempted hydraulic fracking from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. That leaves you and I, as the American public, in this position: we cannot know what the industry injects in our land. It is exempt from being reported.


SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: That was Weston Wilson, an environmental engineer in the EPA's Denver office, speaking in 2004. Dr. Theo Colborn, your thoughts on what he was saying on this issue of disclosure?

DR. THEO COLBORN: Well, exactly. It's very interesting. We've been trying to get information on the chemicals that are used to fracture-well, actually, drilling and fracturing. Drilling has its problems, as well. We must not overlook that. And over the years, with the help of government datas and then also information that we've basically collected because of accidents and spills, we've been able to put together a database in which we have 944 products listed now that are being used in the states where natural gas activity is taking place.
Now, out of those 944 chemicals, we know between 95 and 100 percent of about 14 percent of the chemicals that are being used. We know what they are in those products. But we also have 43 percent of the products that are being used, we know absolutely nothing. We have no idea what's in those forty-two-gallon drums or the 350- or 360-gallon totes. So we're dealing with-the information that we're working with is only based on a very small percentage of the products that are being used. And then-

AMY GOODMAN: So, let's talk about the health-go ahead.

DR. THEO COLBORN: But the problem here is, what Wes is talking about is, 70 percent-30 to 70 percent of that water that's injected underground can possibly come back up to the surface. No one knows exactly how much stays underground and how much is going to be coming back up to the surface. So you worry about the long-term effect of that material that's staying underground, that could appear later coming up in rivers and streams, at people's well sites, that sort of thing, because we don't understand the geology underground. But then all that-the rest of that has to come back up. And what people don't realize is that gas doesn't come up out of the ground dry, either; it comes up wet. So we have the water we're taking off of the gas that is not clean, and we have the water that's coming back up from fracturing.

AMY GOODMAN: We don't have much time, but we want to talk about the health effects. You are the president of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange.

DR. THEO COLBORN: That's right.

AMY GOODMAN: Explain what endocrine disruption is and how that relates to these chemicals that you are beginning to identify.

DR. THEO COLBORN: Well, it's amazing, Amy. We were really stunned when we began breaking out the chemicals by their major health effects, and we found that 43 percent of the chemicals in Colorado, in those that are used there, are endocrine disruptors. Now, and in our national survey, it's 37 percent.

But what endocrine disruption does, basically, these are the chemicals that we now understand better-by the way, that are made from natural gas, believe it or not-the plastics that-and pesticides and other industrial chemicals. These are the chemicals that can get into the pregnant woman and enter the womb, while her baby is developing in her womb, and alter how those children are born. And this is our big concern today, because we're facing major pandemics of endocrine-driven disorders-simple things like ADHD, autism, diabetes, obesity, early testicular cancer, endometriosis. These are all endocrine-driven disorders that we're very concerned about.

And these products are being injected underground, for centuries, maybe, to stay before they surface, and also coming back up. So the big problem is-with natural gas, is dealing with the water when it comes back up.
SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And the EPA now is conducting a national study looking at natural gas drilling. What do you think is the significance of the study, and is it funded well enough?
DR. THEO COLBORN: Well, I'm concerned about the funding, actually, and the time limit on it, too. It's been given to the Office of Research and Development. Dr. Paul Anastas is now running that division of EPA, which was a great appointment by Obama recently, and I have a lot of faith in him. But there is-you know, it's easy to go into a laboratory and set up some test tubes and run an experiment. But you're working with undefined geology that shifts. Every single place you go, the geology is different, the hydrology is different. And for them to be able to get out there, and in two years, with only $2 million, try to resolve this problem, I don't think they can do it.

And I did sit in on their day-and-a-half meeting that they had in Washington about the plans they're thinking about and how they're going to move forward to do this study. And I'm afraid they're going to get into what is called the stakeholder process. They're going to bring in people who know nothing about it, representing all the stakeholders, just like they did with the endocrine disruption panel that they put together in 1996.

AMY GOODMAN: We have five seconds.

DR. THEO COLBORN: Five seconds, OK.
But when you give it to the stakeholders, and you don't give it to the scientists, you're-we've got to separate the research that we're doing behind all of this work that's going on from those-the corporate-controlled decision makers.
AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, we're going to continue to follow this, because, well, under the guise of energy independence, this whole issue of natural gas drilling is really coming to the fore in this country. Dr. Theo Colborn, thank you so much for being with us.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Group: Natural gas drilling threatens Upper Delaware
Posted by: David Meiser on June 2, 2010 at 1:06PM PST
By Sandy Bauers
Inquirer Staff Writer
http://connect.sierraclub.org:80/post/Team/Marcellus_Shale_Gas_Drilling/blog/group_natural_gas_drilling_threatens_upper_delaware.html?cons_id=&ts=1276655796&signature=c62a3041771db513fd23d692d0847ce8

The threat of natural gas drilling has made the Upper Delaware River the most endangered waterway in the nation, according to a national advocacy group.

The nonprofit American Rivers plans to announce that dubious distinction - its 25th in as many years - Wednesday at noon at a City Hall news conference.

The Upper Delaware - the stretch from Upstate New York along the Pennsylvania border and south to the New Jersey line - is believed to be an exceptionally rich area for drilling, and drilling companies have already scrambled to snap up thousands of leases from homeowners.

The group, which was founded in 1973 and claims more than 65,000 members, awards the annual designation to highlight a river system facing a major decision in the coming year.

The industry, however, disputed the dangers, saying the technology is well-established and safe if done correctly and will provide a cheap, clean fuel in the future.

The decision was not a difficult one, said Rivers' Andrew Fahlund, senior vice president of conservation.

Nominations had been solicited, and of the dozens that came in, the Upper Delaware's was "the most compelling because of the importance of the river to 17 million people, and the enormous importance of the recreation economy that's built up around a healthy, free-flowing river," Fahlund said.

The Lower Delaware also includes Philadelphia's water intakes.

He added that "the nature of the threat is tremendous."

The industry views the Marcellus natural gas deposits as some of the world's richest, with the potential to add billions of dollars to the state's economy, and to the state's tax coffers.

Natural gas is seen as a cleaner alternative to petroleum because it has fewer emissions, and proponents say it could be an important "bridge fuel" to renewable energy.

But to fracture the rock that contains the natural gas reserves, companies have to drill deep and inject the formation with water - at least several million gallons per well - and other materials, including toxic chemicals.
Much of the mixture remains underground. Groups are concerned about the potential for it to migrate back to surface water supplies. The industry says this has never happened.

There have been other environmental problems, however. So far this year, the state Department of Environmental Protection has initiated 137 enforcement actions against Marcellus well drillers.

In a high-profile incident in Dimock, Susquehanna County, 14 water wells were contaminated, but not by frack water. One well exploded from leaking methane gas.

Environmental groups also say there is currently no way to adequately treat all the wastewater that comes back to the surface.

The industry is exploring alternatives and improvements and vigorously defends the technology.

"We've been relying on hydraulic fracturing technology to access those resources for more than a half century now," said Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry lobbying group, in a prepared statement. "Those are the facts, and this organization, ideology-driven though it may be, does a disservice by choosing not to provide a full accounting of those facts."

Responding to the industry's assurances, Fahlund said: "Let's see. Who recently said that everything is safe? We've heard assurances from the oil and gas companies, and I think the American public has grown a little impatient with those assurances and rightly has to question them at this moment in time."

Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper, said that the Delaware River constituted "the longest stretch of anti-degradation waters in the nation," and that billions of dollars had been spent to clean it up.

"We still have lots of challenges to face," she said, adding that with "the advent of gas drilling in the Upper Delaware River watershed, we face the possibility of losing everything."

Since 2005, the state has issued 3,682 Marcellus Shale permits. Of those, 1,526 wells have been drilled. Environmental groups have asked for a statewide moratorium on drilling until new regulations now being developed are finished, but Pennsylvania has not done so.

Recently, the Delaware River Basin Commission, which has some oversight of the industry because the Delaware is designated a federal "special protection" area, instituted a moratorium in the Delaware watershed until a comprehensive environmental assessment can be done and regulations passed.

Officials said this process could take a year.

Meanwhile, people have signed more than 6,000 lease agreements with gas companies just in northeastern Pennsylvania's Wayne County.

American Rivers wants the commission to continue the moratorium. It also is urging Congress to pass legislation that would close a loophole exempting the natural gas industry from a provision of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Fahlund said the point of listing endangered waterways was to raise awareness. He said the nation's rivers had seen "amazing improvement" in recent decades. But they now face new challenges, including the impact of natural gas extraction, suburban sprawl, and new contaminants.

Also on this year's list is the Monongahela River in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, also because of natural gas extraction.

rally Fri. to protect Clove Creek Aquifer from development!...

Hi all...


Thanx to folks like Dr. Peter Rostenberg, Dr. David Eberle, Jeff Green, and many more, there have been a number of times over last decade when I've gotten involved trying to save the Clove Creek Aquifer...


[for more on my work on this see: http://www.planputnam.org/phillipstown/articles/081902_rallyhtm.htm ;
http://www.nylcv.org/sites/nylcv.civicactions.net/files/JoelTyner_QuestionnaireResponses.pdf ;
also see http://www.petitiononline.com/cleangov -- Montfort Bros.' pay-to-play documented well here]


For a while now I've been reading on the Hudson Valley Environment listserv about the latest threat to the Clove Creek Aquifer-- over two hundred units of housing to be constructed directly on top of it...


[almost everyone I spoke with at Sun.'s Beacon Sloop Club Strawberry Festival buzzing 'bout this too!]


Come out this Friday (June 18th) at 12:30 pm if you can for a press conference I'm convening to wake up media that the DEC needs to take a much more pro-active stance saving the Clove Creek Aquifer!...


So let us know if you can join us Friday 12:30 pm in front of Fishkill Town Hall at 807 Rt. 52 (12524)...


[sadly, this is not the only issue on which NYSDEC and our state's leadership have to play catch-up on; join 900+ signed to my http://www.PetitionOnline.com/NoDrill http://www.petitiononline.com/joel4ny too]


Also below-- great info from Julia Famularo of PhilipstownFacts.com too!...


Pass it on...


Joel
444-0599/876-2488
joeltyner@earthlink.net

p.s. Join 152 signed already to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=129868613699160 !...


[new Facebook group-- "Stop the Highland Valley Project" (thx to Goldee Greene for inviting me to this)]


"The Fishkill Town Board is quietly pushing through the first of a number of mobile home parks on the very southern edge of Dutchess County. The 210 unit park utilizes 73 of 212 acres slated for development. It will sit on the Clove Creek Aquifer and ad as many as 150 students to the Haldane school district. It needs to be stopped!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


From Dr. Peter Rostenberg (prostenberg@sbcglobal.net) of the Fishkill Ridge Caretakers...


[see http://www.FishkillRidge.org ]

"Mobile homes/manufactured homes have definite socioeconomic benefits that I support-- but not when they are built 5-sand-and-gravel-feet above Clove Creek groundwater, the most productive, purist source water for the region's most important water supply, the Village of Fishkill Public wells. The Montfort family must want that sewer line for the commercialization/industrialization they've always wanted. And, like the Fishkill's Cranesville cement plant discharge, which goes to Putnam County, the mobile home students would also go to Putnam County, to the tiny Haldane School system. Philipstown is understandably upset (angry, frightened as starters).

Since the Town of Fishkill is coasting to Lead Agency, the community will be approved, built and in future years removed. Why removed? Because the real asset in all of this is the sewer line. The Town sought rezoning to industrial in 1995. Scenic Hudson sued and won a rejection in a unanimous Appellate Court decision. The judges wrote that environmental issues, 'of which there are many' were absent. The Supervisor was quoted in effect in the press as having 'missed the environmental boxes.


The estimated 18,000 person customer base for the Village of Fishkill Public Water Supply is undoubtedly way under what's real. It's the same number we heard ten years ago. The region served by Clove Creek groundwater, this richest arm of the Primary Aquifer is the SW portion of Dutchess County. Its the fastest growing part of Dutchess, new municipalities have been addedŠlike the federal superfund victims of East Fishkill. Then there is the fact that Clove Creek water is the last best pure water in that part of the County.

The DEC is hesitant to take the lead agency position in housing proposals. But if the DEC convinces itself that the water flowing beneath the mobile home community at Southern Dutchess Sand and Gravel mine, is an irreplaceable regional natural resource, maybe, just maybe, DEC would assume lead agency.

If the DEC were to take lead in this matter, it would be the equivalent of a lightening bolt through the town halls of Beacon, Wappinger, Philipstown, Fishkill, the Village of Fishkill and East FishkillTown HallsŠ" because we all use the same precious water, we could have standing in how this source water is treatedŠwe are part of a greater community."

It is harder to protect what is not seen, but DEC taking the lead would make the issue of water protection a bit more tangible."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wires/2010/06/11/water-supply-of-18000-thr_ws_608976.html ...

Water Supply of 18,000 Threatened by Government with No Pride
| Room Eight Posted: 06-11-10 11:15 AM

Water Supply of 18,000 Threatened by Government with No Pride

By Michael Boyajian of Fishkill

The Town of Fishkill established a Master Building plan a few years back that called for maximum building in the town over a three year period. The problem is that the plan did not take into account threats it posed to the pure water supply enjoyed by 18,000, perhaps even 55,000, people in the area going beyond Fishkill into nearby Philipstown and East Fishkill.

Local resident and environmental activist, Dr. David Eberle, reports that the Town pushed through the Master Plan allowing building plans to bypass normal procedures of going before the zoning and planning boards for approval. According to Dr. Eberle this benefits a major donor to the local Republican Party, Montfort, which wishes to build 200 mobile homes over the source of this water supply, the Clove Creek aquifer which is a "sweet spot" in the water system. The entire Town government is comprised of Republicans.

Dr. Eberle goes onto to say that the proposed building site is made up of a sandy loam soil mix and that the water table is just a few feet below the surface putting it at risk from contamination from road salt, pesticides and fertilizer. Some speculate that run off from the parking might also allow radiator fluid and motor oil to leech into the aquifer further jeopardizing the drinking water of thousands.

The news doesn't stop there. The nearby Fishkill Creek aquifer is already contaminated by high levels of salt and depends on an inflow of Clove Creek water to dilute its contamination down to acceptable levels. If Clove Creek becomes contaminated then the Fishkill Creek aquifer will lose this precious inflow threatening the water supply of many other residents. In fact, Dr. Eberle reports that the Clove Creek aquifer is the only part of the Fishkill Watershed aquifer that is not polluted. A recent Village of Fishkill water report indicated high levels of chloride in the water supply as well.

Eberle says, "The consequence is that a small community in a bucolic setting is being transformed into a high density area with all the attendant problems." Resistance to the plan is growing among environmental groups like the Fishkill Ridge Caretakers, the Beacon Sloop Club and Clearwater. Community leaders have reached out to Riverkeeper for help as well.

In addition to environmental hazards there is a possible violation of the grave sites of Revolutionary War patriots. A local history group, the Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot, worry that part of the Fishkill Supply Depot, New York's Valley Forge, may be disturbed by the building plan. Upwards of a thousand Revolutionary War soldiers graves were recently discovered on Depot land.

The problem is that the Town operates without opposition and clandestinely, keeping constituents in the dark. Community organizer Ozzy Albra said that during one public meeting the board went behind closed doors in an "executive session" returning only after those in attendance had left thinking the meeting was over. As a result, working class residents, even with their water supply being threatened, go to the polls each Election Day and vote back in the very people who are destroying their way of life and the water supply of the biggest investment in their lives, their homes.

The question is how will these voters react when the entire water supply is contaminated and their neighborhoods are turned into the Love Canal of 2010? Love Canal you may recall was an entire community in the Buffalo area that was declared unfit for human habitation and shut down because of pollution thirty some odd years ago. Residents there were forced to leave their homes forever because of that pollution event. Some say residents may have regrets and anger one day but by then government officials will be living in Florida growing fat poolside as Fishkill residents find themselves homeless making this a horror story created by a government that has no pride.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From: Julia Famularo

Date: Jun 16, 2010 8:00 AM

I work with a group of folks in Philpstown who are trying to get the word out about the Highland Valley development. There are a few resources that you might find interesting and useful:

http://PhilipstownFacts.com/

http://chain.highlands.com/fishkill-development-f30.html

and the Haldane School PTA has a blog: http://haldanepta.blogspot.com/. Since the school recognizes the project could mean a large population increase in the district, it is very interested in what happens with Highland Valley.

Also, there is a Facebook page called "Stop the Highland Valley Project." At present there are 156 members.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From http://philipstownfacts.com/?page_id=317 ...

Highland Valley Project – Fishkill

There is a proposal in the Town of Fishkill to build a 210-unit development of manufactured housing at the northwestern border of Philipstown. This development, which lies within the boundaries of the Haldane School District, will be located on a former soil mine (Montfort Mine), which lies directly over the Clove Creek aquifer, a primary source aquifer, which is the only uncontaminated source of drinking water for the Town of Fishkill, the Village of Fishkill, the City of Beacon, the Town of East Fiskill, and parts of Wappingers Falls. This project will require a zoning change, from R4 (4 acre per dwelling unit) and General Business to an RMF-5 zone, with a density of 12 dwelling units/acre.(See Figure 2.1.1.3-1 – a location map.)

In addition, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) (available here) for the project claims that this development will add only 24 students to the Haldane School District, at a cost of approx. $408,420. The study claims that school taxes garnered from the project will cover approx. $230,650, leaving a deficit of $203,365 to be paid by Philipstown. A more likely number* is 141 students, which represents a cost of approx. $2.4 million, with a deficit of approx. $2.196 million to be paid by Philipstown.

We can’t afford this project, both environmentally and fiscally.

What can you do?

1. Write a letter NOW.
The comment period for the zoning change is 30 days, and it will end before June 19th. Write to the DEC, to the Poughkeepsie Journal, The Southern Dutchess News, and the Town Board of the Town of Fishkill
More on letters, including addresses and samples is here.

2. Sign the petition:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/highlandvalley/

Note: This is a free petition. The host site, ipetitions.com, may ask you for a contribution, and you are free to make a donation or not – it’s up to you.

3. Attend the Fishkill Town Board and Planning Board meetings.
•Fishkill Town Board – Saturday, June 19th, 10am at Camp Foster.
The agenda for this meeting is here. Please note that this meeting is NOT at the Town Hall, but at Camp Foster (directions below). This meeting will be an important one to attend.

Directions to Camp Foster:
Take 9D north of I84 for about 2 miles. Pass Dutchess Stadium and on the left is Castle Point Rd. Make a left onto Castle Point Rd and Camp Foster is about 300 yards on the left hand side.

*calculated from a 2006 Rutgers University’s Center for Urban Policy Research study

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

More from http://www.PhilipstownFacts.com ...

Read the complete Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which was prepared on behalf of the developer. The report estimates that 24 students would be added to the district as a result of the development, at a cost of over $408k. Others have estimated that a 210-unit development would add a far greater number of additional students to the district, at a significantly higher cost due to the increased need for classroom space and busing.

Click on this link for full Draft Environmental Impact Statement:

http://philipstownfacts.com/?page_id=428 .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/highlandvalley/ ...

The Petition

Fishkill Town Board &
Fishkill Planning Board
807 Route 52
Fishkill, Dutchess County NY 12524

To: Town Board & Planning Board, Town of Fishkill

Re: Highland Valley Development Project

We, the undersigned, are residents and property owners in the Haldane School District in Philipstown, Putnam County, New York. It has come to our attention that the Town of Fishkill is considering rezoning property on the northern border of Philipstown in order to allow the Walloon Trust, 44 Elm Street, Fishkill NY 12524, to construct a 210 unit Mobile Home Park.

This property, although physically located in the Town of Fishkill, Dutchess County, is also part of the Haldane School District.

The Highland Valley Development Project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)* estimates that the project will add only 24 students to our district. We strongly disagree with this estimate. According to the DEIS, the project site is currently zoned R-4A (Residential, 4 acres) and GB (General Business), and the Project Sponsor (Walloon Trust, 44 Elm Street, Fishkill, New York 12524) wants to rezone the project site to RMF-5 (Residential Multifamily – 12 density units/acre) to comply with the Town of Fishkill’s Mobile Home Park regulations.

If the rezoning request is granted, once the project is complete, the impact on the Haldane School District and Philipstown taxpayers will be substantial. Haldane School will suffer adversely due to an increased student population far greater than the DEIS reports. We question the accuracy of the formula used in the DEIS to estimate the number of students that would be added to the district. Furthermore, the tax impact on Philipstown will be significantly larger than the DEIS estimates and will create a hardship to taxpayers. Our district’s 2010 enrollment is 875 students; adding even the low estimate of 24 students still represents a 2.7% student population increase, at a cost to the Haldane School District taxpayers of over $400,000.

The Town of Fishkill failed to notify both the Haldane School District and the Town of Philipstown about this project and its potential impact on the Haldane School District, and did not seek any input from either entity when developing this plan.

For these reasons, we ask that you disregard the estimates in the study and deny the rezoning request which this project demands.

Respectfully,

(the undersigned members of the Haldane School community and Philipstown taxpayers)
_____________

* DEIS prepared by M.A. Day Engineering, PC, 3 Van Wyck Lane, Suite 2, Wappingers Falls, New York 12590, in reference to Tax Map numbers 133809-6154-00-780423, 133809-6154-00-723454, 133809-6154-00-782532,133809-6154-00-846575.

today: statewide NYSUT call-in day for millionaires tax to save NYS!...

[I'm not alone in pushing for true tax fairness, folks!...(why has Cuomo thumbed his nose at this, saying "no new income taxes for wealthy"?...when polls shows NY'ers support this by 4-to-1 ratio?]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --

From Union Vale's Vicky Pittman (vickypitt@optonline.net) of NYSUT...

From: NYSUT Action Alert
Subject: State budget alert: Call Monday
Sent: Jun 11, 2010 3:52 PM
It's crunch time: Call lawmakers in Albany on MONDAY!

After months of no progress, lawmakers appear close to agreeing on a state
budget with massive cuts to education and health care. It's an election
year and legislators are desperate to get out of Albany and back to their
districts. We can't let them leave town agreeing to Gov. Paterson's
devastating and irresponsible budget plan. We need you to act MONDAY!

Use the AFL-CIO's toll-free number 1-877-255-9417 to call your state
representatives and tell them there's a better way.

Tell them to support a progressive income tax hike on the state's
wealthiest New Yorkers. We're talking about New Yorkers earning more than
$1 million and $5 million dollars per year. Tell lawmakers we're depending
on them to support a budget that shares the pain equally and does not
disproportionately hurt working class families.
We need to make our voices heard!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fact: NYSUT and other members of the Better Choice Budget coalition all strongly support re-implementation of a stock transfer tax on Wall Street (along with NY'ers by 3-to-1 ratio)-- Dutchess Outreach, NYS Library Association, NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NY Statewide Senior Action Council, NYS Alliance for Retired Americans, Interfaith Alliance of NYS, Interfaith Impact of NYS, Sierra Club, Environmental Advocates, Citizens Environmental Coalition, Citizen Action, NY Children's Action Network, NY Jobs with Justice, NYS AFL-CIO, CSEA, PEF, AFSCME, NYS Community Action Association, NYS Episcopal Public Policy Network, NYS Child Care Coordinating Council, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, Public Utility Law Project, Center for Working Families, Class Size Matters, Coalition for After-School Funding, Fiscal Policy Institute, Hunger Action Network of NYS, and many more-- see http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org (truly massive coalition completely ignored by Cuomo-- why?).
[go to http://www.petitiononline.com/stocktax for much, much more on all this, of course]

Fact: Millionaires in NYS now pay only 8% of their income in state/local taxes; middle class pays 11%.
[see: http://www.itepnet.org/wp2009/ny_whopays_factsheet.pdf ; property/sales taxes have skyrocketed]

Fact: Millionaires used to pay 15.5% NY income tax rate in early 70's; they now pay less than 9%.
[see: http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/taxhistory2.htm ; http://www.ABetterChoiceforNY.org ]

Fact: The richest 1% of New Yorkers own more than 95% of us (according to Wall Street Journal).
[see: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1206-01.htm ]

NYSUT leadership officially endorsing my campaign?...maybe not; but rank & file teachers can help!...

Join the movement!...(FB group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=124328517596388&ref=mf );
about 180 from all over signed on there; join 55 endorsed @ http://www.petitiononline.com/joel4ny too;
download legal petition here too-- http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/06/test-petition.html ...

Joel
444-0599/876-2488
http://www.DutchessDemocracy.blogspot.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[again-- this article from Friday's Albany Times-Union confirms we're in MAJORITY on this; not minority!]

From http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=940073&category=STATE ...

Survey: Tax rich to save schools
State teachers union poll reveals public backs shift of burden to wealthy

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau
First published in print: Friday, June 11, 2010

ALBANY -- Message to incumbents: Raising taxes could be good for your political health. That's right, good, at least if it's a tax hike for the wealthiest of New Yorkers.

Those are the findings from a poll the state teachers union, New York State United Teachers, recently commissioned.

The union surveyed voters in three swing districts and asked them whether they would be more or less likely to vote for their representatives if they supported a millionaire's tax as a way to avert deep education cuts.
In all three districts, voters by a 37-18 point margin said they'd be more apt to support their lawmakers if they moved to raise taxes for the wealthy if it meant saving their schools from budget cuts.

Two temporary income tax hikes were included in the survey: An additional 1 percent for those earning more than $1 million and 2 percent for incomes over $5 million.

The state's top income tax bracket is 8.97 percent so the rate cited in the survey would go up to 9.97 and 10.97 percent respectively.

Critics might argue that the poll narrowly defines the terms under which a tax hike for the rich would be palatable for voters.

But it's the latest example of how, behind the scenes, various interest groups are continuing to look at a temporary high-end income tax hike to help deal with the state's $9.2 billion deficit, despite statements by most politicians that they don't want to raise taxes.

The voters surveyed were in districts represented by Democratic Senators Brian Foley, in Long Island's Third District and William Stachowski in Buffalo's 58th. The polling firm, Hart Research Associates, also queried voters in the 138th Assembly District in Niagara County held by Democrat Francine DelMonte.

Those districts are contested. Long Island has been a traditional GOP stronghold and it's no secret that Senate Republicans would like to have Foley's seat, which he won in 2008, back in their corner. Stachowski has been targeted by Republicans who believe he's beatable, and DelMonte faces a primary challenge from a former Niagara Falls City Council member.
All three know about the survey, which hasn't been publicized by NYSUT.

The union stresses that its not trying to influence these particular lawmakers, but was instead trying to take measure of how voters in bellweather districts would view a high-end income tax surcharge. That in turn, could provide insight into whether such a plan would fly among the bulk of lawmakers.

In those districts, 56 percent said they "strongly" favor the $1 million/$5 million tax hike compared to 14 percent who "strongly" oppose it.
Voters also favor taxing Wall Street banks and investment firms based on the size of their bonuses.

But lawmakers who are looking at a tax hike are said to be focusing more on personal income taxes because they believe banks and investment firms would figure out ways to avoid the increase.

The idea of an income tax increase has been something of a constant theme that's been just below the surface in the ongoing saga of the 72-day-late state budget.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, according to earlier reports, had pushed for an increase on incomes above $1 million but Gov. David Paterson has said he's against the idea, noting they already raised taxes last year, and it didn't generate the revenue they had hoped for.

Then, some Senate Democrats quietly floated an increase on those earning more than $5 million.
Republicans have said they would oppose any tax hikes.
Indeed, most Democrats publicly say they are against tax increases. There have been a few exceptions, though. Sen. Pedro Espada, D-Bronx, who has threatened to derail the fragile week-by-week temporary spending bills lawmakers are passing until they complete the 2010-11 budget, on Monday called for a millionaire's tax.

And last month, Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, D-Manhattan, also called raising taxes on those earning $1 million or more.

How many New Yorkers earn that amount?

In 2007, there were 44,713 New Yorkers who filed returns for incomes at or above $1 million, according to research from the Fiscal Policy Institute, a labor-backed think tank that favors the increase. They estimate approximately 4,800 people earned $5 million or more. Those numbers may have fallen since the recession, began, though.
The bulk of these earners live in New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Putnam counties, said James Parrott, the Fiscal Policy Institute's deputy director and chief economist.

"It's basically a downstate tax," he said of the potential increase.
Overall, 8.1 million people filed income tax returns in 2007.
Parrott added that he believed the concept was still being actively pursued among lawmakers. "It does seem like it's being considered."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Miss this one from the front page of Saturday's paper?...

1. "Nonprofits Struggle Without Payments Due to Late State Budget" by Cara Matthews
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100612/NEWS01/6120327/Nonprofits-struggle-without-payments-due-to-late-state-budget

Missed these two from the front page of yesterday's paper?...

2. "Government Shutdown Looms If Paterson Bill Fails" by Michael Gormley
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100613/NEWS/6130359/Government-shutdown-looms-if-Paterson-bill-fails

3. "Slashed School Budgets Seek Second Chance" by John Davis, Michael Valkys, Michael Woyton
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100613/NEWS02/6130358/Slashed-school-budgets-seek-second-chance

Fair taxation is CRUCIAL issue for anyone who cares about holding county/school/town/city/village property and sales taxes down-- and anyone who cares re: funding crucial services, county nonprofits!...
[recall http://www.PetitionOnline.com/SaveDuCo -- and http://www.petitiononline.com/stopcuts too]