Catskill Citizens for Energy
The largest cathedral in the world, St. John the Divine is a powerful location for the anti-fracking movement to gather, be inspired and galvanize our forces.
In addition to hearing from a variety of speakers, there will be short workshops and trainings on how to get more involved in the movement. You'll learn how to collect petition signatures, and about your legislators and where they stand on fracking. And don't miss out on the Food & Water Watch table full of materials that you can take to share with friends and family, as well as What the Frack? t-shirts and Ban Fracking Now campaign signs.
Speakers at the event include:
- 350.org Founder, Bill McKibben
- Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, Wenonah Hauter
- State Senator Tony Avella (D-Bayside)
- Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal
- Executive Director of Working Families Party, Dan Cantor
- Chair of Democracy For America, Jim Dean
- Executive Director of Frack Action, Claire Sandberg,
- Co-Founder of United for Action, David Braun,
- And the Oscar-nominated Director of Gasland, Josh Fox, will call in.
To register for the event, click here.
In addition to attending the event this Saturday, New Yorkers can get involved in the anti-fracking movement by signing two petitions.
The Assembly has voted to close the toxic waste loophole enjoyed by frackers—tell the Senate to act by clicking here. See below for more information.
Tell Gov. Cuomo not to short circuit the legal process by greenlighting fracking this spring by clicking here. See below for more information.
Because these Action Alerts are being sent to New York State officials, they can only be acted on if you use a New York State address.
The New York State Assembly votes to close the Hazardous Waste Loophole
Last week the New York State Assembly overwhelmingly passed A7013, a bill that will close the loophole in the law that permits the oil and gas industry to dispose of toxic drilling wastes as ordinary industrial waste. This law will protect the public and our drinking water supplies by requiring the industry to properly dispose of hazardous waste—and by requiring the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to report toxic spills like those that occurred in Le Roy, New York.
One hundred and five Assembly Members voted for the bill; thirty-eight voted to preserve the loophole. Coincidentally, one of these legislators recently wrote to Catskill Citizens to explain to us why the DEC didn't need to report the toxic spills schoolyard grounds in Le Roy, New York—where more than a dozen students have recently come down with a still unexplained illness. In response, we wrote an open letter to the Assembly Member tracing the connection between the hazardous waste loophole and what went wrong in Le Roy.
Threatening Noises from the Governor's Office
Unfortunately, significant gains in the courts and in the Assembly have been overshadowed by indications that Cuomo administration is considering going around the law and permitting fracking in New York State even before the DEC has had a chance to properly evaluate and respond to the 61,000 comments it received on the Revised Draft SGEIS—and before it has conducted a health impact assessment. The governor recently told the editorial board of the Syracuse Post Standard that the decision to permit fracking is just "a couple of months away."
Home Rule Upheld in Court
In a historic decision, State Supreme Court Justice Phillip Rumsey upheld zoning ordinances in the Town of Dryden (Tompkins County) that explicitly prohibit any and all activities having to do with shale gas extraction. The Dryden ordinances not only prohibit fracking, but also the storing, treating and disposal of any products or wastes produced from fracking.
The town had been sued by Colorado-based Anschutz Exploration Corporation which spent more than five million dollars leasing 22,000 acres in the town, gambling that it would be able to undertake high-volume hydraulic fracturing—an extraction technique not previously permitted in New York State.
Justice Rumseys' decision was the first court test of New York's notorious Environmental Conservation Law 23 which gives the state power to regulate the oil and gas industry, but not the ability to override local zoning ordinances. In rendering his decision, the justice wrote "Nowhere in the legislative history… is there any suggestion that the legislature intended… to preempt local zoning authority."
People Get Ready
Non-violent civil disobedience training, Sunday, March 11 from 12:30 - 5 p.m. at the Delaware Youth Center, Callicoon, New York. To register or for more information email Beverly Sterner.
For more information, click here.
Here are three new films to watch this Earth Week that will transport you from pole to pole and introduce you to the scientists and activists working to save our shared home.
1. The Year Earth Changed
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
When to Watch: From April 16
The coronavirus pandemic has brought home the stakes of humanity's impact on the environment. But the lockdowns also proved how quickly nature can recover when humans give it the space. Birds sang in empty cities, whales surfaced in Glacier Bay and capybara roamed the South American suburbs.
The Year Earth Changed captures this unique year with footage from more than 30 lockdowned cities between May 2020 to January 2021. Narrated by renowned wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, the film explores what positive lessons we can take from the experience of a quieter, less trafficked world.
"What the film shows is that the natural world can bounce back remarkably quickly when we take a step back and reduce our impact as we did during lockdown," executive producer Alice Keens-Soper of BBC Studios Natural History Unit told EcoWatch. "If we are willing to make even small changes to our habits, the natural world can flourish. We need to learn how to co-exist with nature and understand that we are not separate from it- for example if we closed some of our beaches at for a few weeks during the turtle breeding we see that it can make a huge difference to their success. There are many ways that we can adapt our behavior to allow the natural world to thrive as it did in lockdown."
2. After Antarctica
Where to Watch: San Francisco International Film Festival
When to Watch: 12 a.m. PST April 9 to 11:59 p.m. April 18
In 1989, Will Steger led an international team of six scientists and explorers to be the first humans to cross Antarctica by dogsled. Steger and his team weren't just in it for the adventure. They also wanted to draw attention to the ways in which the climate crisis was already transforming the icy continent and to rally support for the renewal of the Antarctic Treaty, which would keep the continent safe from extractive industries.
In After Antarctica, award-winning filmmaker Tasha Van Zandt follows Steger 30 years later as he travels the Arctic this time, reflecting on his original journey and once again bringing awareness to changes in a polar landscape. The film intersperses this contemporary journey with footage from the original expedition, some of which has never been seen before.
"Will's life journey as an explorer and climate activist has led him not only to see more of the polar world than anyone else alive today, but to being an eyewitness to the changes occurring across both poles," Van Zandt told EcoWatch. "But now, these changes are happening in all of our own backyards and we have all become eyewitnesses. Through my journey with Will, I have learned that although we cannot always control change, we can change our response. I feel strongly that this is a message that resonates when we look at the current state of the world, as we each have power and control over how we choose to respond to hardships, and we all have the power to unite with others through collective action around a common goal."
After Antarctica is available to stream once you purchase a ticket to the San Francisco International Film Festival. If you miss it this weekend, it will screen again at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival from May 13 to May 23.
Tasha Van Zandt
3. The Race to Save the World
Where to Watch: Virtual Cinema
When to Watch: From Earth Day, April 22
While many films about the climate crisis seek to raise awareness about the extent of the problem, The Race to Save the World focuses on the people who are trying to stop it. The film tells the story of climate activists ranging from 15-year-old Aji to 72-year-old Miriam who are working to create a sustainable future. It follows them from the streets to the courtroom to their homes, and explores the impact of their advocacy on their personal lives and relationships.
Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Gantz told EcoWatch that he wanted to make a film about climate change, but did not want to depress viewers with overwhelming statistics. Instead, he chose to inspire them by sharing the stories of people trying to make a difference.
"Unless millions of people take to the streets and make their voices heard for a livable future, the politicians are not going to get on board to help make the changes needed for a sustainable future," Gantz told Ecowatch. "I think that The Race To Save The World will energize and inspire people to take action so that future generations, as well as the plants, animals and ecosystems, can survive and thrive on this planet."
Check back with EcoWatch on the morning of Earth Day for a special preview of this inspiring film!