We had a funny thought today: When their children say they're afraid of the monsters in the closet, do activists teach their offspring to "Stand up, f
We had a funny thought today: When their children say they're afraid of the monsters in the closet, do activists teach their offspring to "Stand up, fight back!"? Because the big scary monsters in our own grownup closets seem to keep coming, one after another, like some environmental horror show version of X-Box: TPP, Tar Sands, Fracking, LNG, Radon, etc. We like the attitude that our favorite new grassroots group (Spectrabusters) has adopted as their tag line: "We ain't afraid a no pipeline!" So for this edition of the newsletter, here's the latest in scary monsters and how to tell them, "Shoo:"
Scary Monster: LNG
Why is it a monster?"
We all know the lie of "energy independence" is a cover for the U.S. to start exporting shale gas, a prospect that will worsen the suffering of tens of thousands of Americans for the profit of a few multinational corporations. Now, the Cove Point LNG export terminal in Maryland is up for review by the Maryland Public Service Commission.
What you can do about it: GET ON THE BUS! WE ALL NEED TO FIGHT EVERY EXPORT TERMINAL. It is crucial to show national solidarity against the export and development of shale gas, and those of us on the east coast need to make it clear we won't tolerate an LNG facility in Long Beach, in Seneca Lake, in Maryland, or anywhere else! Here's your chance: Next Thursday, February 20th, a bus will leave NYC for Baltimore with stops in Bloomfield and New Brunswick, NJ. Join our fellow fighters for a Rally to stop Cove Point. Manhattan Pickup location: 8th Ave. & W. 34th St., Departs: 7:30am; Returns: 5:00pm. LNG is INsane energy!
Scary Monster: Sacrifice Zones
Why is it a monster?"
All over America, communities are being sacrificed: Small towns from West Virginia to Colorado are subject to air and water pollution from the effects of shale gas, coal, oil and nuclear industries. Closer to home, Minisink, NY is gasping for air after an oversized compressor station was built in the center of 200 homes, many owned by 9/11 first responders.
What you can do about it:
Follow us on our Insane Energy Tour. Over the next few months, we will be visiting sites in New York and other states to document the harms that all forms of INsane energy are creating.
This weekend, we'll be in West Virginia, where the effects of every type of extreme extraction, especially mountaintop removal for coal, have hit hard. People there are still without safe water from a recent series of toxic spills. The situation that splashed across the news last month has not improved for people living with wave after wave of harms. Our hosts have advised us not to shower or touch the water in our hotel room, and are picking us up from the airport with jugs of water. A temporary inconvenience for us, a DISASTER for 300,000 West Virginians.
We'll be touring the area and, if weather permits, flying over mountaintop removal sites. Watch our facebook page and twitter feed for real-time posts. (We'll do a full reportback when we get home, too.) As New Yorkers, it's crucial for us to understand the effect that the coal being used to power northern states has on people in West Virginia. We'll be meeting with a coalition of grassroots groups there who have been fighting this battle for decades. How can we all work together to send the message to Obama and Congress that we will no long tolerate sacrifice zones? That's what we'll be talking about!
Scary Monster: Minisink
Why is it a monster?"
Minisink is now subject to plans to build a huge gas-fired power plant that would run off the compressor station that's already polluting their air. This plant is supposedly for the "benefit" of NYC.
What you can do about it:
We don't want no stinking gas plant and we need to tell the PSC exactly that.
A public hearing on the plant has been postposed due to an expected snow storm, but you can still post written comments. Follow the facebook page for updates.
Scary Monster: Radon
Why is it a monster?"
As a result of new pipelines bringing Marcellus shale gas directly from Pennsylvania into NY, the risk of exposure to higher radon levels in kitchen gas increases. Read why Radon in shale gas is dangerous and why New York's gas supply is changing.
What you can do about it:
1) Participate in the NYC Citizen Radon Testing Program. Sane Energy Project provides hundreds of FREE test kits to qualified participants to create a citywide database of kitchen radon (you must have a gas stove, live in the 5 boroughs, and keep your wndows closed for 3-7 days). Watch how easy it is to do the radon test.
2) Support the Rosenthal Radon Bill (sign the petition here.)
Scary Monster: NYS Energy Bill
Why is it a monster?"
Because it doesn't mention fracking. AT ALL. But it does make plain the plan to build out a massive shale gas-powered infrastructure in this state. And while it makes some nice noises about renewables, it offers no concrete timeframe or roadmap to get us there. An overview of the plan has been put together by AGREE, and other analysis will be forthcoming.
What you can do about it:
1) Submit comments that push for an end to fossil fuel and nuclear infrastructure. The existing pipelines, power plants, compressor stations and storage tanks MUST BE THE LAST GENERATION of its kind. We MUST demand all new energy infrastructure to be built will be renewable. The draft plan is a beast to read and experts are pouring over it now attempting to get a handle on it. A coalition of groups have sent a protest letter requesting additional time, later hearings, and evening hearings.
2) Attend the hearings.
The complete list of hearings can be found here. The first 3 hearings are next week:
February 18 – 10:00 a.m., Albany
Albany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering
NFS Auditorium, 255 Fuller Rd, Albany, NY
February 19 – 3:00 p.m., Brooklyn
Brooklyn College, Gold Room
Student Center, 6th Floor
Campus Road & East 27th St., Brooklyn, NY
February 20 – 10:00 a.m., Manhattan
John Jay College, 2nd floor
524 West 59 Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues) New York, NY
Don't miss a thing!
To keep up with what's happening and catch all the photos and events we can't fit in the newsletter, please follow our facebook page, and share it with friends. If you appreciate the work we do, please support us by becoming a member or donating a few hours of your time. To help out, just email us at Contact@SaneEnergyProject.org. Thanks for everything!
