Canadian Police Use Military Tactics to Disperse Indigenous Anti-Fracking Blockade 18OKT13

THE struggle against fracking is not just an American issue, it is happening all around the world. This report on the action taken by First Nations activist and supporters and the reaction of the governments of New Brunswick and Ontario and the rcmp. (The video and transcript of the report will be added as soon as they are available, till then, click the link at the bottom to go to The Real News Network.) From TRNN....

http://youtu.be/cMhNUpDOUNk 

Uploaded on Oct 18, 2013

New Brunswick Mounted Police deploy rubber bullets and tear gas, arrest 40 protesters for blockading highway.

Transcript

OSCAR LEÓN, TRNN PRODUCER: Thursday, October 17, 2013, in New Brunswick, Canada, indigenous protesters refused to comply a judge injunction ordering them to surrender the siege of SWN equipment store.The Royal Canadian Mounted Police moved in, fully armed, 200 men strong, arresting many elders. Pictures of agents in camouflage with automatic assault weapons and dogs flowed trough Twitter and other social media websites.SWN Resources Canada is a Houston-based energy company working on shale gas extraction using fracking, a system that injects water and chemicals to the ground to harvest gas. Scientists and activists warn that such procedure can contaminate the ground and the water supply. The company had been conducting seismic testings with the trucks detained inside the compound by the activists. Miles Howe, a reporter for the Media Co-op, was among those arrested. He published: "We are currently surrounded by about 75 cops, all guns drawn. Several are in military fatigues. Rubber bullets have been fired in the woods. Molotovs were thrown earlier from warrior side. Currently still in standoff."The Globe and Mail reported that after the protesters refused to disperse, the police used tear gas and rubber bullets. RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) reported 40 arrests. This is a statement in the RCMP website:"The New Brunswick RCMP has arrested at least 40 people for various offences including firearms offences, uttering threats, intimidation, mischief, and for refusing to abide by a court injunction on Route 134. . . ."The Real News spoke to Pamela Ross, one of the activists that had been in the blockade.PAMELA ROSS, PROTESTER, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA: This has been a peaceful protest all along, and people have been misled on what the whole warrior society and what warriors, First Nations warriors are in the first place. You know, they're protectors of the people. So that's why the warriors were the first people arrested, because they are willing to put themselves out in front of everybody else.Everyone's protesting because the government of New Brunswick, originally the Liberal government of New Brunswick, introduced shale gas fracking to New Brunswick. And people were totally against it. And then an election came around, and the Conservative government was very critical and criticizing the Liberal government, you know, about the shale gas, and a lot of people voted for them because they thought that the Conservative government was against it. But the Conservative government has turned around, and they seem to be all for it as well.LEÓN: A live shot was reported, but neither side took responsibility for it. Five police cruisers were set on fire after the initial raid. Images like this one published in News World YouTube channel circled around the internet and TV newscasts. While it is presumed that Mi'kmaq people did it, until now no evidence has surfaced onto who set the cars on fire. This is a video of the aftermath of the arrest published by Chris Sabas, an independent reporter working in Toronto with Christian Peacemaker Teams. She had been following the story.The siege that started on Sunday, September 29, 2013, after months of active nonviolent direct action by native Acadian [incompr.] communities, and after years of campaign against shale gas, protesters draw the line.Worth mentioning is Submedia's TV coverage of the blockade. This is part of one of their special reports from the side of the blockade.UNIDENTIFIED: We have Mi'kmaq, we have Acadians, we have English. So we all came together. That's why we became a unity camp. Before, we were like this, we weren't getting along, until when they started messing our water. Then we became this.LEÓN: This is a video by Chris Saban of Chief Aaron Sock entering the blockade.Elsipogtog Chief Aaron Sock and several council members were among those arrested on October 17. This marked the end of a blockade maintained for more than two weeks. But it does not end the resisting of the indigenous people and the activists and citizens. After the arrest, demonstrations of people protesting in solidarity were reported by mainstream media as well as social networks. Ontario Provincial Police reported that 30 to 40 First Nation protesters [inaud.] and shut down Highway 6 in southern Ontario between the communities of Hagersville and Caledonia. Just one day before, speaking on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II,--DAVID JOHNSTON, GOV. GEN. OF CANADA: I bear the happy wishes and deep affection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.LEÓN: --Governor General David Johnston, in the annual Speech from the Throne in Parliament Hill, Ottawa, pointed at the immense importance raw natural resources have for the Crown and the Commonwealth.JOHNSTON: Since Canada's earliest days, our economy has been built on our abundant natural resources. Directly and indirectly, the natural resource sector employs 1.8 million Canadians, many in skilled, high-paying jobs. Resource development generates $30 billion annually in revenue that supports health care, education, and programs Canadians cherish. Canada's energy reserves are vast, sufficient to fuel our growing economy and supply international customers for generations to come.LEÓN: The Canadian indigenous fight to preserve its resources from industrial exploitation has many similar characteristic compared to those of the South American indigenous. In Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador, they all advocate for the necessity to balance civilization's growth and the well-being and preservation of our planet and its biosphere.For The Real News, this is Oscar León.
See more videos: http://therealnews.com

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10891 

UPDATE ON DRYDEN, NY ; Victory in Fracking Ban Case 3MAI13

THIS is so cool! Congratulations to the people of Dryden, NY and thanks to all who took the time to send a message of support. The link to my earlier post on the amazing people of Dryden at the end of this post. From EarthJustice....

You remember Dryden, NY—the town that fought fracking? Well, they just keep on winning. Today, they did it again, in a big court victory against an oil and gas company that sued over the town’s fracking ban. You were an important part of this victory, sending a message of support to the people of Dryden while they awaited today’s decision. Two weeks ago, Dryden residents delivered your message—along with a map showing where each message came from—to their Town Board members. The Town Board members were incredibly grateful and have asked to keep your message, and 20,000 others, in an archive in the town library. Supervisors from the Town of Dryden receive your statement of solidarity. (Dryden Resource Awareness Coalition) “We love our town. We’re proud to be from a place that doesn’t back down from a tough fight. And we’re inspired by the outpouring of support we’ve received,” Dryden resident Deborah Cipolla-Dennis told reporters today. “Now it’s our turn to support communities across New York, and in Pennyslvania, Ohio, Colorado, and elsewhere that are standing up to the oil and gas industry.” We’ve got some tough battles ahead while communities across the country struggle to protect themselves from the consequences of the fracking-enabled oil and gas drilling boom. But today, take some time to celebrate your part in this victory. Thanks for standing with Dryden, Kathleen Sutcliffe Campaign Manager

©2013 Earthjustice | 50 California Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94111 | 415-217-2000 | action@earthjustice.org

ALERT TOOLS

PHOTO CREDIT:   Top: Supervisors from the Town of Dryden receive your statement of solidarity. (Dryden Resource Awareness Coalition)

VIEW ONLINE:   Having trouble viewing this email? View it in a browser. The Town That Fought Fracking (And Is Winning...) 21MAR13 http://bucknacktssordidtawdryblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-town-that-fought-fracking-and-is.html

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....

Action Completed!

Your solidarity letter has been received.
Thank you for speaking out in support of the Town of Dryden.

Discover the story behind the journey to successfully pass
Dryden's fracking ban in this special feature.
Please share with your friends and spread the word!

[ CLOSE THIS NOTIFICATION ]

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:

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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!