This page is designed to facilitate efforts of any town that wishes to hold a Take Action Meeting, and set up a letter writing workshop to respond to the dSGEIS
The files were compiled from credible sources and organized into sections, that explain the function of the dSGEIS, areas of concern, topics relevant to, its flaws, samples of responses, sample comment letters, and other such materials which we found useful for the workshop.
There is such a wealth of information to digest regarding hydrofracking, and while some of us are now conditioned to our daily reading on the subject, we found that many people in our towns are just too overwhelmed and confused by a mixture of propaganda and semi-truths. These HydrofrackFacts contain basic need to know information, and were formatted onto easy to read and print PDFs.
We hope you find them useful…
CWC-NY - Workshop in a Box
(A Guide to Organizing a letter writing workshop for commenting on the dSGEIS)
Note: Choosing a guest speaker, who is able to give a factual overview of the environmental impact that hydrofracking would have on a community, is an essential component of a successful meeting.
We chose a noted Registered Nurse to speak before the workshop. Our distinguished guest was well spoken, giving first hand accounts to further explain significant areas of concern. This made for easy comprehension and motivation.
1. Publicizing the event:
• Print up poster and post around town
• One week prior to the meeting, call residents from lists such as prior surveys, who expressed a possible interest in taking action against fracking
• Publicize the event in the Local Newspaper’s Community Calendar. Ours ran both the day before, and the day of the event.
2. Workshop Materials:
• HydrofrackFact Sheets- each sheet covers a topic of concern regarding hydrofracking in this region. (Alphabetically) These include: Air, Chemicals, Community Impacts-DEC Sept. 2011, Drilling 101, Earthquakes, Economy, Eminent Domain, Environmental Dangers, Exposing Children to Hydraulic Fracturing, Floods, Pipeline Accidents in the U.S. 2010 & 2011, Property Values-Mortgages-Insurance, Toxins, Traffic, and Water- Consumption & Disposal. Add any others you feel are relevant.
Print copies of each topic (and other samples), using the number of anticipated attendees as a guideline, and display them alphabetically across a long table or other surface.
• dSGEIS Information Sheets. These include: What is dSGEIS?, Riverkeeper’s
Response to the dSGEIS, dSGEIS Flaws,Examples of Responses to the dSGEIS
• Sample Letters. Written by members of the CWC-NY (or your own)
• DEC and Governor Cuomo, Senator, and town board address labels
• Pens & Envelopes
3. Refreshments & Letter Writing
• After a brief introduction, presentation by guest speaker, and a short Q&A,
we had a break and offered refreshments. This got people out of their seats to socialize, and do a bit of networking and comparing notes. During the break, there was a short explanation of the Info sheets and samples provided, with a suggestion of choosing a topic to comment on, that may have some personal meaning, making it easier to write a compelling letter.
Note: There should be ample writing space made available.
4. Get Contacts and Follow-Ups
•Have a sign-up sheet for anyone wanting to get involved with future efforts in your town or county. Provide E-mail addresses or websites for more information.