----- Original Message -----
From: Catskill Mountainkeeper
To: amlazarus@earthlink.net
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 1:15 PM
Subject: CORRECTED Action Alert: ASSEMBLY BILL # IS A11443-b NYS Drilling Moratorium Passes Senate
Catskill Mountainkeeper Action Alert
August 4, 2010
CORRECTED ASSEMBLY BILL NUMBER BELOW
The New York State Senate Passes Gas Drilling Moratorium Bill
The fight to prevent unsafe gas drilling in New York State received a huge boost last night when at 12:17 AM the New York State Senate passed a bill that would impose a moratorium on granting permits for hydrofracking until May 15, 2011.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Antoine Thompson (D-Buffalo), was passed by a margin of 48-9. The vote had strong bipartisan support and included 15 Republicans.
The next step is for the Assembly version of the bill (A11443-b) to be voted on by the Assembly when they return from their summer break after September 15th.
Many had considered the bill "dead on arrival", but legislators were positively affected by the unrelenting efforts of Catskill Mountainkeeper and a broad coalition of our environmental and grass roots partners. According to Wes Gillingham who managed Mountainkeeper's field efforts to generate public support for the bill, and was on the Senate Floor this morning pushing up to the last minute "this important step is a
tremendous display of what can happen when citizens stand up and take action."
It is very important to note that the passage of this bill by the State Senate does not make this a done deal. We now must make sure the bill is passed by the Assembly and be signed by the Governor as quickly as possible.
Here's how you can help!
Email and call Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and your own Assembly Members (contact your member here) now to tell them to bring the bill (A11443-B in that house) to a vote as soon as possible.
Call Governor Paterson and tell him to heed the call of New Yorkers across the state who are calling for the state to slow new gas drilling down and to make sure it can be done safely before our communities, our drinking water, our air quality and our landscapes are sacrificed.
This has been a long, hard and expensive fight. We weren't given a chance to win two years ago when we picked up the gauntlet on behalf of the citizens of the Catskill region and New York State. Today an important victory is within sight if we can continue to build public pressure. Please help us continue this positive momentum by donating to Catskill Mountainkeeper today.
Support Mountainkeeper
We act as your advocate in protecting the Catskills. Our only funding comes from individual contributions and foundation grants. Help us continue to work for you by making a donation of any size.
About Catskill Mountainkeeper
Catskill Mountainkeeper is a community based environmental advocacy organization, dedicated to creating a flourishing sustainable economy in the Catskills and preserving and protecting the area's long term health. We address issues of water integrity for the Delaware and Susquehanna River Systems, the defense of the vast woodlands that encompass the Catskill Forest Preserve and the New York City Watershed as well as farmland protection. We promote "smart" development that balances the economic needs and concerns of the Catskill regions' citizens and the protection of our abundant but exceedingly vulnerable natural resources. Catskill Mountainkeeper is fiscally sponsored by the Open Space Institute, Inc. as part of its Citizen Action Program.
