NY - We Are Seneca Lake: New Initiative: Writing Truth to Power
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Dear friends of Seneca Lake,
This week is a quiet one because…we want you all to stay home and write letters to political leaders and editors of newspapers and so change history.
That said, we do hope some of you will turn out to support our sole defendant this week, Timothy Dunlap (age 60, Town of Hector), at his arraignment in the Town of Dix Court (304 7th St, Watkins Glen) at 7 pm on Wednesday night, March 11.
Also, please join WASL leaders Jan Quarles and Michael Dineen who speak about Seneca Lake as part of a panel of presenters at a community forum, "Take a Stand," this Thursday, March 12, 5:30pm-8:00pm at the CommonSpot located at 126¾ The Commons in Ithaca.
The event is hosted by The SEEN (Sustainable Enterprise & Entrepreneur Network). This open gathering is core to The SEEN's ongoing initiative to support policies that enliven our community and protect our natural environment. To learn more, email The SEEN Director, Bob Rossi <bob@theseen.org>.
Read on.
New Initiative: Writing Truth to Power
Letters to Elected Officials
Remember the winter of 2012-2013 when we buried the fracking regs under 204,000 public comments and thereby killed them? That collective writing project was a turning point in the fight against fracking.
In that spirit, at last Thursday night’s public forum in Ithaca, we launched a new letter-writing initiative to exert pressure on Senator Gillibrand, Senator Schumer, Congressman Tom Reed, and Governor Cuomo.
In an ongoing and sustained campaign, we are writing letters that formally ask these elected officials to join us in protecting Seneca Lake from dangerous storage of methane and LPG.
We’ve also launched a petition drive and have issued a renewed call for Letters to the Editor.
Join us! While the snow is still piled high, we need you to show the world the power of the pen. Let words flow out of you.
You don’t have to start from scratch. We’ve created templates. Use them as they are or personalize them. They live here. http://WeAreSenecaLake.us9.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=03df00df4e1e94743d4a67f2b&id=6d80d2b7c4&e=c57faaf040
Quick political review: Decision-making on everything related to natural gas (methane) lies in federal hands, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has already greenlighted Crestwood’s methane storage for Seneca Lake salt caverns. That’s why we are appealing to Gillibrand, Schumer, and Reed. In spite of FERC approval, construction of the compressor station has not yet begun. Thus, we are seeking an injunction, a reversal, a re-hearing of a bad decision by FERC, which has swept aside legitimate concerns of independent scientists and citizens.
By contrast, decision-making on storage of LPG (propane and butane) in Seneca Lake salt caverns lies with Albany, and no decision has yet been made. Our appeal to Governor Cuomo and his DEC is to do the right thing and stop LPG storage.
Letters to the Editor
LTEs are the second-most popular section in the daily newspaper. (The first is the horoscope.) Once published, LTEs can be re-circulated online, posted on Facebook, and tweeted out. Elected officials—from town board members to the governor—pay close attention to LTEs and so do your friends and neighbors. LTEs move the needle on public opinion.
All you need to do is make one compelling point in 150 words or less. Here are some suggestions for this week. Choose one of these topics or find your own:
Watkins Glen State Park on USA Today's list of top ten state parks in the nation. A popular vote will now determine which park is selected as #1. Let’s all go vote for our own Finger Lakes crown jewel! We know Watkins Glen is the best. That’s why we live here. That’s also why we will never allow a Houston-based energy company to store billions of gallons of explosive gases little more than a mile away and send 1,785 train cars full of LPG across the 80-year-old Watkins Glen train trestle that traverses the gorge. Craziness. http://WeAreSenecaLake.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03df00df4e1e94743d4a67f2b&id=ed16ab1a05&e=c57faaf040
The village of Watkins Glen appears on City Described's list of Top 16 Small Cities Worth Moving To. We agree! But only if Crestwood gas storage moves out. Worst. Neighbor. Ever. http://WeAreSenecaLake.us9.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=03df00df4e1e94743d4a67f2b&id=c14056a42c&e=c57faaf040
The tractor trailer rollover on Franklin St. in Watkins Glen on Saturday night. Luckily, the upside-down truck was hauling orange juice. We do not consent to a future of the same with explosive gases. http://WeAreSenecaLake.us9.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=03df00df4e1e94743d4a67f2b&id=5f5bb96410&e=c57faaf040
Wall Street protesters acquitted! Ten civil disobedients in New York City were found not guilty last Thursday. Although the necessity defense was disallowed, the judge made “judicial notice” of the urgency of the climate change crisis. The statements of the vindicated defendants sound a whole lot like things that we say, e.g. Susan Heiker: “I got arrested to protect my five-year-old son’s future. The judge’s ‘judicial notice’ shows that the climate justice movement is creating a broader shift in our society’s desire to address climate change and this gives me hope.” http://WeAreSenecaLake.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03df00df4e1e94743d4a67f2b&id=09491623da&e=c57faaf040
In other news, Sandra Steingraber, as a representative of We Are Seneca Lake, traveled to Washington DC last Wednesday for a meeting with FERC Commissioner, Cheryl LeFleur, and her staff. Here is a copy of her statement. http://WeAreSenecaLake.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=03df00df4e1e94743d4a67f2b&id=d6d6fee8f1&e=c57faaf040
Quote of the week:
My task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel—it is, before all, to make you see. —Joseph Conrad
