Trenton Black River
Well, we thought that the enemy had left...that they'd packed up the failure
that took place on Lisle Road in Owego and headed home with their slippery tails
between their legs after their months of drilling turned up no gas....but
they're now returning. They'll try once again to sneak in through the back door,
however, dropping bread crumbs disguised as dollar bills in front of poor-people
who need every dime they can get their hands on, no matter what the cost, and they'll destroy
our land and our way of life. This time, however, they have a new ally, the
New York State DEC Division of Mineral Resources.
You, undoubtedly haven't heard anything about public hearings, meetings, etc.
There's a reason for that. The Mineral folks from Albany would really rather
have the holes already deep in the ground in places like Oakley Corners Forest
and many other forests like it (probably one in a neighborhood near you) BEFORE
you discover that you'll no longer be able to use these facilities as you now
do--in record numbers. Why, Because you'll start asking too many questions. The current
DEC proposal lists 21,349 acres of State Forest land in 8 counties in the Finger
Lakes and Southern Tier regions.
Hikers, snowmobilers, boaters, skiers, bikers, fisherman and other sportsmen will find
heavy equipment and huge drilling equipment tearing up acres of ground that they
used to love to wander through. Huge lights will fill the night ski as you try
to sleep. The non-stop, 24/7 pounding of the drilling rigs will drive the
wildlife from the forests. Oil-related spills and leakage introduce toxins
such as benzene, toluene, and xylene which threaten the drinking water of local
residents and kill the streams and ponds used by the wildlife and fishing
enthusiasts.
They don't want to make it easy for us to get out in large numbers and let
them hear what WE ALL think of their greedy, underhanded practices. The nearest
meeting for those of us in the Southern Tier who wish to be heard will take
place in Cortland!!! They don't want you to have much TIME to contact your
politicians and other civic leaders either. We have about two weeks to try and
stop them.
Think that there's NOTHING that you can do? Think again as the you read
this:
"The state Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources Thursday postponed a plan to auction off drilling rights to over
500-thousand acres of state forest land. Under the land in north-central
Pennsylvania may be deposits of natural gas and oil, part of the Trenton Black
River formation, which could provide a source of revenue for the DCNR. But the
plan could also have serious consequences on the way state land is managed.
Environmental groups across the state had previously criticized the DCNR for
planning an auction without any public comment".
This was taken from the link that you see below. PLEASE take a moment and
look it over. Your voice CAN and WILL be heard!!
http://www.greenworks.tv/radio/todaystory/20020425.htm
We'd ask that you click on this site to get more information on what YOUR
homeland can look like and what YOUR water supply can contain in just a few
short weeks.
So, did you enjoy that? If not, please send your comments to these
folks.
Mr. Charles Gilchrist
Division of Mineral Resources
625 Broadway, 3rd Floor
Albany, NY 12233-6500
Also send your comments to Congressman Maurice Hinchey
and Congressman Sherwood Boehlert
They have the power to stop the destruction.........and so do you. Please
attend these meetings. Yes, it's a pain in the butt to travel all that way. The
Mineral folks intended it to be so that we won't show up. If you pass on this,
the very first night that you lie in bed and spend a sleepless night due to the
intense halogen lights and the unrelenting pounding of the drills, you'll KICK
your butt to Cortland and back 1,000 times. We've already been through it.
You'll think you've died and gone straight to Hell.
Here's more info that you should know about.....................
Public Notice
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Call For Nominations
More information from this division:
The Division of Mineral Resources of the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) is accepting nominations to lease State
Reforestation Areas and Multiple Use Areas in western and central New York for
the purpose of oil and gas exploration and development. The information gathered
through the nomination process will allow the DEC to determine the level of
interest for a possible future state land lease sale and will assist in the
surface management planning process for state lands as exploration efforts
expand outward from New York's Southern Tier. Nominations to lease Wildlife
Management Areas will not be accepted at this time. DEC will be accepting
nominations until November 28, 2003.
The fact that a particular parcel is available for nomination does not
guarantee that the parcel will be included in a lease sale. The DEC's land
managers and other staff will review the nominated tracts and, through a tract
assessment process, determine which areas would be available or excluded from
surface disturbances associated with hydrocarbon exploration and development
activities. They will also develop lease-specific conditions and stipulations
for all tracts selected for inclusion in a lease sale in order to provide for
the exploration and development of the resource in a safe, environmentally sound
manner consistent with surface management objectives. If the information
gathered in this call for nominations results in the potential offering of
tracts in a lease sale, the tract assessments, special conditions and
stipulations developed by the DEC will be made available for public review
through meetings and workshops to gather oral and written comments prior to
finalizing specific conditions for a tract or parcel. DEC's on-going unit
management planning process also provides the public with opportunities to
comment on proposed management activities on State land.
For general information on the nomination and leasing process, proceed to
State
Land Leasing Process on the Division of Mineral Resources website
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dmn Click on
2004
Lease Sale to view a list of Reforestation and Multiple Use areas available
for nomination and a map showing their locations. The DEC reserves the right to
accept or reject any nomination. Please use the contact below if you have
interest in a county that is not on the nomination list.
All nominations are held confidential. Each nomination requires a nomination
letter and a bid guarantee deposit of $500 plus an additional $1 per acre for
each tract nominated. Deposits must be paid by check or money order payable to
the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Nominations are
subject to review by DEC staff to determine suitability for leasing.
All tracts selected for inclusion in a lease sale by the Department will be
offered for competitive bid. Bid guarantees will be applied toward the bonus bid
if the nominating party is the high bidder and returned if the nominating party
is not the high bidder. The bid guarantee will be forfeited if the nominating
party fails to submit a bid when the tract is offered.
A letter listing the nominated areas by county name and number (for example,
Cortland SRA #199) and number of acres along with a bid guarantee check (payable
to NYSDEC) for the appropriate amount should be addressed to:
Charles Gilchrist, Chief, Compliance and Enforcement Section
NYSDEC - Division of Mineral Resources
625 Broadway, 3rd Floor
Albany, NY 12233-6500
The Division of Mineral Resources anticipates that a lease sale arising from
this process would be held in Spring of 2004. All leases offered in a lease sale
will be awarded to the responsible bidder who submits the highest dollar per
acre bonus bid. Lease terms include a one-eighth (1/8) royalty, a ten dollar
($10) per acre minimum bid and five dollar ($5) per acre annual rental for the
primary term of five years.
State land lease sales were previously held in 1999 and 2003. Approximately
$3.2 million was received by the state for 13,000 acres of state land in the
southern Finger Lakes area. The 2003 sale, held in March, leased 26,000 acres of
state land in proximity to several Trenton/Black River natural gas fields for
$4.5 million.
For additional information or assistance, contact Charles Gilchrist at (518)
402-8056.
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