Archive: Opinions

For a moment, imagine you are living in Kentucky or West Virginia.  Around you are picturesque mountains that possess some of this country’s most beautiful scenery.  Streams and rivers filled with crystal clear water flow through the region.  An abundance of wildlife coexists with humans in a delicate balance.  Majestic trees, unique shrubs and plant life also find a home in this environment.  Nature has provided a home for this natural treasure for millennia.

In addition to the beauty they posses, these mountains contain something hidden within. Something so valuable in today’s world, that companies are willing to literally strip them down to the ground, if necessary, to find that treasure beneath the trees, the soil and the bedrock. 

The treasure is coal.  Coal has fueled this nation for nearly two hundred years.  Traditionally mining took most of the coal from the ground in the last century through conventional mining.  However, new technology, called Mountain top removal now permits energy companies to extract the last bits of coal from deep within these mountains. 

The process is quite simple.  Forests are clear-cut.  Next explosives blast off up to 800 feet of mountaintops.  Large earth moving machinery hauls off the rock and soil often dumping the debris into adjacent valleys causing more damage to the fragile ecosystem.  More heavy machinery is brought in to extract the coal.  Once extracted, the process is repeated as the machines move more and more dirt and stone to reach the coal.  The coal is then washed to remove the impurities and toxins. 

Mountaintop removal generates huge amounts of waste. While the solid waste becomes valley fills, liquid waste is stored in massive, dangerous coal slurry impoundments, often built in the headwaters of a watershed. The black sludge is a witch’s brew of water used to wash the coal for market.  The carcinogenic chemicals used in the washing process are combined with all the compounds found in coal, including toxic heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury.

These dams often leak or collapse causing environmental nightmares for wildlife and people who live downstream.   One “spill” of 306 million gallons that sent sludge up to fifteen feet thick into resident’s yards and fouled 75 miles of waterways, has been called the southeast’s worst environmental disaster.  Wells were poisoned beyond hope.  In some towns, residents can no longer use their water to bathe or to do their laundry.  Meanwhile energy companies their work paying fines whenever and wherever necessary.

The results of mountain top mining are disastrous.   In all likelihood, the same awaits those who live in the Marcellus Shale region. As energy companies sign leases with landowners to explore for gas, the same environmental horrors that have afflicted our fellow Americans in Appalachia, will certainly descend upon us.

Large machinery will invade our quite towns and villages damaging our roads, bridges and other infrastructure.  The natural beauty of our region will change quickly.   Wide swaths of land will be deforested creating a landscape devoid of life. Clouds of dust and incessant noise from 24 hour drilling operations will add to the pollution.

From these 5 acre exploration pads, the process known as fracking will begin.  Millions of gallons of water and other liquids, many of them toxic and, will be forced into the bedrock and substrata pushing the trapped gas out of the rock and into collecting wells.  The liquid used in the process will be “recovered” and placed in holding ponds until it can be sent to water treatment facilities. 

There is no doubt in my mind that New York will open up wide regions of our state to energy exploration.  With the economy continuing its downward trend and the state treasury in deeper trouble, Governor Patterson will announce that energy exploration will generate jobs and much needed tax dollars to bail out the state.  The question remains, what price are we willing to pay for energy exploration. 

When accidents occur, and they will occur, how will we respond?  What will be our defense against these multinational giants backed by an army of lawyers?  Are state and local governments implementing legislation to protect our environment?  What is the plan when wells, streams, and Cayuga Lake are contaminated by the toxic slurry used in fracking?  What price are we willing to place on life, or for that matter, our very existence here in Lansing? 

The City of Syracuse has proposed legislation prohibiting fracking (hydraulic fracturing) on lands within the Skaneateles Lake watershed.  Skaneateles Lake provides drinking water for city 200,000 residents.  The Lansing Town Board ought to address the dangers involved with fracking, and follow Syracuse’s lead in the battle to save Cayuga Lake and protect the residents of Lansing.  A little effort on our board’s part will insure that generations of Lansing residents enjoy the beauty of our region.  And that is to the point.

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