Welcome
Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County
GDACC (Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County) is a group of residents who are concerned about gas drilling.
Our goal is to educate ourselves and the community about gas drilling, and to promote a safe and clean environment.
Next Meeting Sun. June 3 at 5 p.m. at SUNY Downtown,
9 Main St. Cortland
UP-COMING EVENTS CALENDAR
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“The Truth and Consequences of Fracking”
Canadian Oil & Gas Consultant Jessica Ernst to Give Presentation in Ithaca
7:00 pm, Wednesday, May 23, First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, 306 N. Aurora St., Ithaca http://wp.me/pJm45-2l4
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Jessica Ernst, Noon at SUNY Downtown, 9 Main, Cortland, NY at noon
Jessica Ernst, a scientist from Alberta, Canada with 30 years of experience as a consultant to the oil and gas industry, is suing the Province of Alberta regulators for negligence and unlawful activities and the EnCana gas company for contaminating her water well with methane and toxic chemicals. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear what the fracking process has meant for her and her neighbors as they have lived amidst high volume drilling for a decade.
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Jessica Ernst at Lafayette High School 6:30 pm
PENNSYLVANIA FARMERS SPEAK ABOUT LIVING WITH F R A C K I N G
MAY 24, 2012 7 P.M. MORAVIA ELEMENTARY AUDITORIUM Sponsored by: Southern Cayuga Anti-Fracking Alliance (SCAYAFA) & Moravia Anti-Fracking Alliance (MAFA) For further information call 497-3014
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Singing Clear: Clean earth, air, water ’round here. (More information)
The Benefit enviro CD “Singing Clear: Clean earth, air, water ‘round here” is here! It is a compilation CD addressing issues of hydrofracking, mountaintop removal, the oil and gas industry with songs for a clean planet and sustainable energy. The compilation features excellent songs donated by artists including The Horse Flies, Driftwood, Marie Burns (of the Burns Sisters), emma’s revolution, Colleen Kattau and Some Guys, Aro Veno, Bev Grant, and Thousands of One, and includes a moving statement by acclaimed environmental activist and author, Sandra Steingraber excerpted from her Heinz award acceptance speech.
The CD benefits the work of GDACC, Shaleshock, NOON (Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation), Friends of Blair Mountain, and other groups working for a clean planet. Mastered beautifully by Jocko Randall of More Sound Studio and with the fresh and clear art work of Felicity Frisbie, the songs, mastering and artwork flow effortlessly to create an album of unity in diversity – as if the arts could shift the course of energy policy. (Purchase Information)
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Poll Sponsored by Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland Co. (GDACC) and Moving in Congregations, Acting in Hope (MICAH) Concludes that Home Rule Legislation is needed to Protect towns right to self-determination.
Cover Letter – Cortland County, NY.doc
Summary Results- Cortland County – December 17-18, 2011
Comment on a similar poll by same polling firm
News Coverage:
Poll shows opposition to hydrofracking in Cortland County – YNN, Your News Now.
New poll shows majority of Cortland County opposes fracking : News : CNYcentral.com.
Oldies 101.5 – Local News.New Poll Says 58% of Cortland County Residents are Opposed to Fracking
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We provide speakers/presentations for local groups on leasing,economics, environmental, agricultural impacts of industrial gas drilling.
Contact us at gdacc.cortland@gmail.com
Find Us at Facebook
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DEC’s Preliminary Revised Draft SGEIS-Selected Comments and News
Sign the Coalition Letter to Governor Cuomo to Withdraw RD SGEIS
Proposed Legislation and WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT HYDROFRACKING
UP-COMING EVENTS CALENDAR
Shaleshock Media Videos on Time Warner Public Access Channel 2 in Cortland
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LEASE EXPIRING? Protect Yourself!
Sunday, March 18, 2012 from 2pm – 4pm–Forum: Protecting Your Property Rights: Terminating Gas Leases
Sidney Fire Department, 74 River Street Sidney, NY
Ellen Harrison, founder of FLEASED, and Joseph Heath, environmental attorney, will present a forum/workshop on gas drilling leases and landowner rights. The program is meant to attract pro-, anti-, and indifferent lease holders in western & southern Delaware County, Otsego County and Chenango County. The target audience is current gas drilling lease holders, potential lease holders, and neighbors of lease holders.
DOCUMENTS PREPARED BY AN EXPERIENCED ENVIRONMENTAL ATTORNEY WORKING WITH GDACC
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TEMPLATE FOR DEALING WITH GAS COMPANIES UPON EXPIRATION OF YOUR GAS LEASE Word doc.pdf file
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Letter to gas companies claiming Force Majeure as a reason to arbitrarily extend gas leases. Word doc. Why Force Majeure claims are invalid Word doc
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Workshops on Lease Termination and Force Majeure:
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Shaleshock Media–Video of the Auburn Lease Termination Workshop on Apr. 23, 2011
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Cortland clerk fights abusive gas leasing practices | Innovation Trail.
Hydrofracking Leases Subject of Regrets in New York – NYTimes.com. 9/23/11 – Coverage of GDACC Lease Termination Workshop in Lafayette. 9/19/11
- News Coverage–Residents With Expiring Leases Fight Extensions–Cortland Standard Feb. 22, 2011 Gas drilling leases explained to crowd. Cortland Standard Feb. 28, 2011
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New York Times Series “Drilling Down”
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TAX DEDUCTABLE DONATIONS CAN BE MADE TO GAS DRILLING AWARENESS FOR CORTLAND COUNTY
Make checks payable to “Sierra Club Foundation” with “Finger Lakes Group” in the memo line.
Checks can be mailed to GDACC; PO Box 5151; Cortland, NY 13045
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Thank you, Thank you so much for all your information. I am using the letter you wrote to Chesapeake and I so appreciate it. Again thanks for all your hard work in keeping us informed.
I asked my rural town in NY if we had any areas zoned for heavy industry. The reply was no. We have three areas zoned for light industry. Do I need to do anything else to protect my town from hydraulic fracturing.
Andi, There are several people in Cortlandville who are interested to circulate petitions to ask that the town make explicit within their zoning code that they exclude heavy industry. You can email me at scohen3@twcny.rr.com and I will put you in touch with Ray Dunnigan and others who have an interest in assuring that the town does not allow heavy industrial activity such as mining/gas drilling/hydrofracking. Thanks for taking an interest in assuring the community is protected. Sheila Cohen
I am writing to you from Bulgaria and in the name of thousands of Bulgarians regarding the upcoming ecological disaster in our country.
In the middle of June 2011 our government granted a five-year permit to the U.S. company Chevron to carry out shale gas exploration in the most fertile part of our country – “Dobruja”, for 30 million euros. There is much evidence that the technology of exploration and extraction of shale gas is very controversial and it can damage the environment. We are trying to organise ourselves via facebook – so far we have formed a group of about 10 000 enthusiasts – in order to inform the Bulgarian population about the dangers of exploration and extraction of shale gas.
Our request is: We know that there are a lot of people in the US that are harmed by the hidraulic fracturing consequences How about if we coordinate our activities , record them and give them to medias for broadcasting IN BOTH OUR COUNTRIES SIMULTANEOUSLY?It is ever increasingly difficult to overcome the obstacles of our famous bureaucratic machine, as well as the pessimistic attitude of some fellow Bulgarian citizens, fed up with the statements of the Bulgarian Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism, and a group of biased scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Science. According to them, the exploration of shale gas is safe and no different than the exploration of oil and natural gas, and the extraction itself doesn’t represent any danger to the environment. Of course, there are many other specialists who are saying the opposite, but they are given no publicity, which doesn’t surprise us at all.
Our Facebook group’s page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/ecobg/
For contacts: dokumentalni2@gmail.com or facebook.
With regards,
A Bulgarian Civil Movement, which wants to preserve the beauty and integrity of our country’s nature.
I appreciated the sample letter for sending and canceling a gas lease. I am using it to cancel our lease; however, I find one item lacking in this web site and similar web sites. You tell us to get a good attorney that is familiar with gas leases, but you don’t list any on your site. I attended Joe and Mikes’ seminar in Summer Hill and they recommended it as well, but again no particular names given and Joe stated he certainly wasn’t looking for more work. It does no good to Google for them you get news items and very few names. Why don’t you provide a list of attorneys that handle gas leases (writing and canceling them)? If you’ve got a listing here you’ve managed to bury it where I’m having trouble finding it. Thanks for all the information.
I’ve put out a query to several NY groups working on this subject based on your comment. Either no one knows any lawyers versed in this or they are reluctant to make a public recommendation. I suggested that they contact you individually.
Let’s send Senator Libous a message on election day. His hydrofracking ally, Debbie Preston is running for Broome County Executive. Encourage all of your contacts in Broome County to vote for Patrick Brennan.
I want to thank everyone that helped to build this site and for the sample letters on canceling a lease. I received wonderful news today in the mail…I received my lease termination notice that had been filed in the county clerk’s office. I was overjoyed. A great burden has been lifted from my family. When we signed the lease we’d never heard of hydrofracking and foolishly assumed that any drilling would be a traditional well. I know now that there were questions that should have been asked and weren’t. I only hope that more people in New York come to realize that even though the offer of big bucks is tempting, a pristine country side is more important. Thank you for everything.
From http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/205.html:
“Oil, gas and solution salt mining wells are economically important in New York State ….
“….In addition, the Division protects the correlative rights of mineral owners and ensures that oil and gas reserves are developed such that a greater ultimate recovery can be achieved. This is accomplished through well spacing and compulsory integration.”
This isn’t conservation of the environment, it’s collusion with drilling companies. Were real returns/gains locally to be realized-you could ALMOST explain away the evil. But there’s not even that. For all the whining about an economic opportunity that could be squandered, the people involved have already proven how they handle economic opportunity. It would be a net loss for us and the environment, an incredible gain for them. I say the law should be the more you make off a drilling, collection, storage, processing, operation, the closer you have to live to the site.
Help! The new 19th Congressional District in the Mid-Hudson has a progressive candidate, 5-term Dutchess County legislator Joel Tyner, who needs several thousand signatures on his designating petitions by Friday, April 13th so he can force a primary on his establishment rival. Joel has been for banning fracking for years; I got to know him from our meeting at numerous demonstrations on various subjects. Any registered voter in New York State can collect the signatures of registered Democrats in the 19th C.D. to help get Joel Tyner in a primary. How about a fracking foe in Congress? For more information, visit and click on the “petition” page.