The Town That Fought Fracking (And Is Winning...) 21MAR13

FRACKING is being fought in many communities across the U.S. and too often the people loose because of the politicians who have been bought off by the big oil and gas companies. Here is a story of one community that is winning their fight against fracking, Dryden, New York, and the opportunity to send them a message of support as their case is argued in the New York State Supreme Court today, 21MAR13, from EarthJustice....

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The Story of Dryden:

The Town That Fought Fracking

(And Is Winning)

An upstate New York town is fighting to preserve its way of life in a lawsuit pitting a small town's rights against an out-of-state oil and gas company’s wishes.

More than a hundred towns in New York have enacted local bans or moratoriums on gas drilling, including the controversial process known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," in which drillers blast millions of gallons of chemically treated water into the ground to extract gas from hard-to-reach deposits deep in the earth.

Among those municipalities is the Town of Dryden—which is now being sued.

In September of 2011, the privately-held Anschutz Exploration Corporation, owned by Forbes-ranked Phillip Anshutz (net worth: $7.5 billion), sued the Town of Dryden (population: 14,500) in a bid to force the town to accept industrial gas drilling—including fracking—within town limits.

The company brought its lawsuit after the Dryden Town Board approved a change in its zoning ordinance, clarifying that oil and gas development activities, including fracking, were "prohibited uses" of land within the town. The Dryden Town Board's unanimous, bipartisan vote followed a petition drive and a series of public hearings, in which residents spoke out 3-to-1 in favor of the change.

This is how it all started. The Dryden Resource Awareness Coalition (DRAC) was created in the spring of 2009 by Dryden residents concerned about the possible upcoming consequences that the hydraulic fracturing of gas wells drilled into the Marcellus Shale may bring not only to their own neighborhoods, but also to the state and region.

In 2010, DRAC members began collecting petition signatures from their fellow residents to ask the Town Board to develop an industrial noise ordinance and to make a firm statement against gas drilling. The journey to the successful passage of the ordinance involved the entire community, through information sessions, a listening project, collaborations with neighboring communities, and much more. DRAC members took their concerns and requests for protective action to the Dryden Town Board, using their citizens' privilege time at the beginning of each meeting. They attended each monthly meeting, reiterating their concerns and reporting on progress to the Dryden Town Board and Town Supervisor.

DRAC member Hilary Lambert recounts the story of how town residents worked together to ensure their concerns would be heard, and to, ultimately, bring about the historic vote:

In Celebration of Community: The festive scene in Montgomery Park during Dryden's 2012 Dairy Day, a community service project of the Dryden Grange. The annual gathering brings together local farmers, businesses, and organizations to celebrate the many contributions the dairy farmer makes to all of our lives.  (Austin Brecht)

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW

Norse Energy Corporation USA v. Town of Dryden is being appealed after a state Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dryden. Earthjustice is representing the Town of Dryden in the appeal. Oral arguments will be heard on March 21, 2013, in Albany by the State of New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division Third Judicial Department.

[ More on this Case ]

VOICES OF DRYDEN

HILARY LAMBERT

A mother, grandmother and longtime science-based advocate for the environment, Dr. Hilary Lambert grew up in Dryden and remembers a childhood spent outdoors, in the woods and on the water. Today, Hilary is a member of DRAC and works to protect the ecological health of the Finger Lakes Region as executive director of a watershed protection organization.

SLIDE 15 OF 15

DRAC regularly holds and participates in various county-wide and out-of-county efforts to safeguard the region's water, air, and soil resources and, more generally, an environment in which people, animals, and plants can live and flourish.

Photos and captions are courtesy of Hilary Lambert.

SLIDE 1 OF 15

During the rough winter months in early 2011, members and supporters of the Dryden Resource Awareness Coalition (DRAC) fanned out across Dryden's snowy, icy roads to collect signatures of residents opposed to gas drilling and fracking.

Flyers and ads were placed in local newspapers. Advice from Back to Democracy, an all-volunteer organization that promotes citizen empowerment, and local election experts ensured that signatures were authentic and correctly documented.

SLIDE 2 OF 15

By spring of 2011, DRAC had collected 1,600 signatures, which they presented to the Dryden Town Board at a packed-house monthly Town Board meeting.

The message to the Board was clear: Please develop and vote in favor of a gas drilling and fracking zoning ordinance, and please do it quickly.

The pressure was on!

SLIDE 3 OF 15

By August 2011, the zoning ordinance that would prohibit oil and gas activities in the town had been developed and the work had been done to muster Town Board action.

Dryden Town Board member David Makar and Town Supervisor Mary Ann Sumner walk to the meeting at which they would take a vote.

SLIDE 4 OF 15

Again in a packed meeting, following necessary preliminaries and reading of the beautifully-worded ordinance language by Dryden Town Attorney Mahlon Perkins, and after all the work that had gone before, the vote was quick:

"Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!"
It was a unanimous historic vote.

At front from right: Steve Stelick, Joe Solomon, Mary Ann Sumner, David Makar and Jason Leifer, recorded by Town Clerk Bambi Avery.

SLIDE 5 OF 15

Dryden Town Supervisor Mary Ann Sumner is congratulated by DRAC members and other Dryden community residents who supported the fracking ban.

A brief recess was then called to allow for a few minutes of uproarious celebration.

SLIDE 6 OF 15

Following the meeting, many stood outside to talk about the vote.

Attorney David Slottje, who had advised DRAC on how to develop a zoning ban for consideration by the Dryden Town Board, departs with a big smile.

But even in the midst of this great victory, the Town was put on notice by letters and statements from pro-frackers that someone would probably sue Dryden for taking this action.

SLIDE 7 OF 15

A year before the historic vote, DRAC members were already attending, organizing and co-sponsoring numerous Dryden and Tompkins County fracking and gas drilling information events, to better educate themselves and others.

This presentation in 2010 by the Community Science Institute was one of those events. DRAC members are clustered on the left side of the room, learning along with others about potential impacts to the region's water resources.

SLIDE 8 OF 15

In late 2009 and early 2010, communities across Tompkins County and beyond were organizing to repel fracking from their borders.

Here, DRAC and ROUSE (Residents Opposing Unsafe Shale-Gas Extraction) members at the Brooktondale Community Center in the Town of Caroline, listen to fracking expert, engineer and Cornell University professor Dr. Tony Ingraffea.

SLIDE 9 OF 15

DRAC members attended meetings and learned about their neighbors' concerns and found ways to work cooperatively with them.

DRAC member Judith Pierpont (left) and Shaleshockleader Sarah Hess (right), take notes as attorney Helen Slottje (center) explains that, while New York towns may not regulate gas drilling and fracking, they may pass land-use laws that exclude these activities.

SLIDE 10 OF 15

Meanwhile, across Cayuga Lake in the Town of Ulysses, the CCU (Concerned Citizens of Ulysses)were mounting a massive town-wide petition drive to demand that their town pass a ban on gas drilling and fracking, based on guidelines developed by attorneys Helen and David Slottje of CEDC Inc..

In the photo, DRAC members listen to Helen and David (left) explain the process of developing a zoning ban for consideration by the Dryden Town Board.

SLIDE 11 OF 15

At the close of 2010, community groups DRAC, CCU, ROUSE, ENSAW (Enfield Neighbors for Safe Air and Water) and others met with Ulysses petition developers Michael Dineen and Jan Quarles of Back to Democracy, to learn how to mount major petition drives in their respective towns.

Attorney David Slottje (second from right) speaks to participants at a fundraising house party organized by DRAC on behalf of the Slottjes, whose pro bono work was helping towns across New York State develop gas drilling and fracking bans and moratoria.

SLIDE 12 OF 15

From the beginning, DRAC was all about informing and involving fellow Dryden residents, communicating our concerns and asking for action from our Town Board, and working with other groups in Tompkins County and beyond.

We began meeting regularly at Dryden Town Hall, and started a listserv for local residents and a blog for Dryden and the wider public. Our twice-monthly meetings were run in a non-hierarchical fashion, and we posted a brief report on the listserv after each meeting.

SLIDE 13 OF 15

Several DRAC members also took part in a Listening Project in 2010, to find out what folks in Dryden thought about fracking. More than a hundred interviews were conducted through the project.

In training sessions (left), they learned how to do door-to-door visits, which would help us in our petition drives.

See the results of the Listening Project results.

SLIDE 14 OF 15

DRAC continues to work to raise public awareness of issues related to gas drilling, including land leasing details and the methods and risks involved with fracking.

Left: DRAC members and friends plan their work for the coming year during a session led by 350.org co-founder Kelly Blynn in September of 2012.

SLIDE 15 OF 15

DRAC regularly holds and participates in various county-wide and out-of-county efforts to safeguard the region's water, air, and soil resources and, more generally, an environment in which people, animals, and plants can live and flourish.

Photos and captions are courtesy of Hilary Lambert.

SLIDE 1 OF 15

During the rough winter months in early 2011, members and supporters of the Dryden Resource Awareness Coalition (DRAC) fanned out across Dryden's snowy, icy roads to collect signatures of residents opposed to gas drilling and fracking.

Flyers and ads were placed in local newspapers. Advice from Back to Democracy, an all-volunteer organization that promotes citizen empowerment, and local election experts ensured that signatures were authentic and correctly documented.

Fracking requires a heavy industrial buildup, complete with giant well pads containing multiple wells, miles of trucks rumbling down gravel roads, and noisy equipment that runs all night. Fracking sites, which are significant sources of volatile organic compounds, also taint local air quality by increasing ozone levels.

And then there's the issue of water. Each fracking job requires millions of gallons of water laced with sand and toxic chemicals like formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid. Some of the chemicals in fracking fluids are known carcinogens and the health effects of many additives are not fully understood, in large part because industry officials have refused to disclose precisely what they are using.

"The people of Dryden want to preserve the special character of our town and make sure it continues to be a healthy community for generations to come," said Dryden Town Supervisor Mary Ann Sumner.

"The oil and gas industry may wish it were otherwise, but municipalities have the right to determine what types of development are appropriate within their borders. We are firmly committed to defending that right."

A New York State Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dryden in February of 2012. The case is now being heard by an appellate court—though with a change in plaintiff. Norse Energy, the U.S. subsidiary of a Norwegian oil and gas company, has replaced Anschutz Exploration in the litigation—Norse then filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy proceedings the following month.

Earthjustice is representing the Town of Dryden in the appeal, a case that will determine whether localities can keep heavy industry like oil and gas development off the land within their borders.

The case is being watched closely as towns in other states like Colorado and Ohio pass fracking bans of their own and are threatened with lawsuits by the oil and gas industry. A victory in New York could provide encouragement and hope to communities around the country.

"The people of Dryden stood up to defend their way of life against the oil and gas industry. And, against stiff odds, they won," said Deborah Goldberg, managing attorney of Earthjustice's Northeast regional office and an expert on the environmental impacts of industrial gas development.

"The [lower court] ruling makes clear that local officials have the right to decide what industrial activities are appropriate within their communities."

"The Town of Dryden has a very strong case," said Deborah. "Two courts have ruled that localities retain their longstanding power to regulate land use, including by prohibiting industrial activities such as gas development in their communities. We'll do everything we can to ensure this victory stands."

Dryden celebrates Dairy Day. The annual event brings a home day atmosphere together with a dairy theme that is entertaining, fun, educational and affordable to families.  (All photos by Austin Brecht)

The Dryden High School Sustainability Club showcases its work.

Even a brief rain shower doesn't diminish cheers from the crowd, as the Dairy Princesses' float joins the parade.

VOICES OF DRYDEN

AUSTIN BRECHT

These scenes from the 2012 Dairy Day were captured by Austin Brecht, then a senior at Dryden High School.

Age

19 years old

Years Lived in Dryden

19

Occupation

Undergraduate Student;
Mentor at Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture

Favorite Part of Being from Dryden

Knowing that I come from
a small, close-knit town

Favorite Dryden Memories

The annual Dairy Day Parade;
walking along the rails of Dryden Lake and fishing in the lake;
going to Dryden Lake Park

Small ponies seek shelter from the rain during Dairy Day festivities.  (Austin Brecht)

Children from Dryden's Southworth Library march in the Dairy Day parade.  (Austin Brecht)

Fall colors at Dryden Lake Park.  (Enoch Ross)

RELATED:

INTERVIEW: DOWN TO EARTH

The Dark Side of the Fracking Boom

Managing Attorney Deborah Goldberg discusses the Northeast regional office's multi-year litigation work on fracking.

FEATURE

Fracking Runs Afoul of Hometown U.S.A.

The New York towns of Middlefield and Otsego, which together encompass the Village of Cooperstown, passed the first local fracking bans by limiting industrial activities within the town's borders.

VIDEO

Finding Their Way

Pennsylvania residents Jim and Jen Slotterback had only 11 days to save their favorite park from gas drilling—and they succeeded. Watch their story.

TAKE ACTION! The Town That Fought Fracking (And Is Winning…)

Dear Craig, Mary Ann Sumner is Town Supervisor for the Town of Dryden (population 14,500) in upstate New York. She loves Dryden, and she takes her job very seriously. That’s why she is in New York State Supreme Court today, fighting a lawsuit brought against her and Dryden by an oil and gas company trying to force citizens to accept fracking inside the town’s borders. Will you stand in solidarity with the people of Dryden on this historic day? In 2011, Supervisor Sumner and her colleagues on the Dryden Town Board voted to prohibit the use of land within the town for oil and gas development activities, including fracking. Six weeks later they were sued by an oil and gas company owned by a Forbes-ranked billionaire. When Dryden defeated the billionaire’s company in court, it made history, inspiring other towns across America to enact similar bans. But Dryden’s fight is not over—the US subsidiary of a foreign-owned oil company has now stepped in to challenge the town. Earthjustice attorney Deborah Goldberg is representing Dryden in this precedent-setting case. As this message is being sent, she is facing off against oil and gas industry lawyers in Albany, NY. The coming weeks will be tense ones in Dryden as the townspeople and their local elected officials await the court’s ruling. Will you sign on to this petition and send them a message of support? These messages will be read aloud at upcoming Town Board meetings, letting the leaders of Dryden know that thousands of people have their back in this fight. With great appreciation, Kathleen Sutcliffe Campaign Manager P.S. Your support sends an important signal to Town Board members that they’re doing the right thing by standing up to the oil and gas industry. Sign our solidarity petition today!