New York Residents Present Gov. Cuomo with Over 200,000 Petitions
Calling for a Ban on Fracking

Petition Delivery Precedes Five Events Across New York
Over 100 NY Municipalities Have Banned or Placed Moratoria on Fracking

ALBANY, NY – Today, members of New Yorkers Against Fracking presented Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office at the State Capitol with over 200,000 petitions from New York constituents demanding the Governor ban the hazardous practice of hydrofracking.

Representatives from consumer, environmental and community groups were joined by State Sen. Tony Avella and Albany Common Council members Dominick Calsolaro and Leah Golby as they urged the Governor to ban hydrofracking for its proven record of contaminating water supplies and the enormous threat it poses to the health and safety of New York’s air, water, food, and communities.

State Senator Tony Avella, Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and author of a Senate bill banning hydrofracking (S.4220), stated, “The over 200,000 petitions that are being delivered today to Governor Cuomo exemplify the ever growing grassroots movement towards a complete ban on hydrofracking. Hydrofracking is not worth the risk of contamination to our water, farmlands and communities! We cannot allow the State’s environmental health to be jeopardized at any cost, let alone for an empty promise of an economic boom. New Yorkers from all over the state have spoken and the message is loud and clear; Say No to Hydrofracking!”

“One of the reasons the City of Albany’s Common Council voted for a prohibition on natural gas extraction within the City was to send the strongest message possible to the DEC that ‘fracking’ should not be allowed anywhere in New York State.  Our City’s water supply is located 20 miles outside of the City, and the chance that our national award-winning drinking water could be contaminated because ‘fracking’ may not have been banned specifically by another municipality is appalling!  All watersheds must be protected from the malevolent affects of ‘fracking,’” said Dominick Calsolaro, Common Council Member for the First Ward in the City of Albany.

Petitions poured in from every corner of the state, with over a dozen grassroots groups involved, including New Yorkers Against Fracking, the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, Food & Water Watch, Frack Action, the Working Families Party, Water Defense, Democracy for America, Citizen Action of New York, Credo Action, Capital District Against Fracking, Three Parks Independent Democrats, Frack Free Catskills, Brooklyn For Peace, New Yorkers for Clean Water, the Society for Ethical Culture and Sharon Springs Against Fracking.

“With today’s delivery of over 200,000 petition signatures and even more comments to the DEC calling for a statewide ban on hydrofracking here in New York, it’s clear that New Yorkers don’t want fracking in their communities. Not only is it damaging to our environment, but it’s bad for the economy and won’t provide the jobs that the natural gas industry would like us to believe,” said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York and co-chair of the Working Families Party.

The delivery comes as over 100 New York towns and cities have banned or placed moratoria on fracking and as support grows for a statewide ban. “As someone with roots in the Southern Tier, I can tell you that there is plenty of concern in communities across that region about the impact of fracking on the health and safety of residents and visitors,” said Albany Common Council Member Leah Golby. “Rather than cave to the drilling industry with talk of a strategy to allow dangerous high volume hydraulic fracturing in NY communities that have not passed local bans, Commissioner Martens and the Governor should take into account the opposition of New Yorkers in every corner of the state, not just those where elected officials have passed a ban. ”

“Today we’re delivering a loud and clear message to Governor Cuomo: New Yorkers want him to stand up to the oil and gas industry and ban fracking,” said Eric Weltman, a Senior Organizer for Food & Water Watch, a national consumer organization. “Fracking is inherently dangerous, and beyond our capacity to regulate. In the final analysis, there are safer alternatives to natural gas, but there are no alternatives to water.”

The event at the State Capitol precedes a May 3rd Day of Action against Fracking with events in five regions calling on Governor Cuomo to ban fracking: Manhattan, Buffalo, Endicott, Stone Ridge and Long Island.

About New Yorkers Against Fracking

New Yorkers Against Fracking, a new coalition of diverse organizations that support a fracking ban, are joining together to tell Governor Cuomo and our leaders in Albany to stand up for New Yorkers to keep our water and our state safe by banning hydrofracking.

Founding members of New Yorkers Against Fracking include statewide and national organizations like Citizen Action of New York, New York State Breast Cancer Network, Food & Water Watch, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Frack Action, Water Defense, the Working Families Party joining with local grassroots anti-fracking groups and business in each part of the state such as Brewery Ommegang, Frack-Free Catskills and Fingerlakes Clean Waters Initiative and many more. The full list of over 50 organizations can be found at: http://www.nyagainstfracking.org/about.

Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., author, biologist, advocate and recent winner of the prestigious Heinz Award for her life’s work, donated a significant portion of her award to help prevent fracking in New York – providing the seed money for this effort.  Diagnosed with cancer in her youth, Steingraber is a central voice in the fight against fracking and has devoted her career to understanding the ways in which chemical contaminants in air, water and food endanger human health.
Sandra will serve as an honorary member of the New Yorkers Against Fracking advisory committee.

Joining Sandra as honorary advisory committee members will be Niagara native, former Love Canal resident and founder of Center for Health, Environment and Justice Lois Gibbs and outspoken anti-fracking advocate, actor and upstate resident Mark Ruffalo, the co-founder of Water Defense.

About Hydraulic Fracking:

High volume hydraulic fracturing, combined with horizontal drilling, involves pumping millions of gallons of water, chemicals and sand underground to extract natural gas from shale bedrock.  Multiple studies show how inherently dangerous it is. Most New Yorkers are wary of fracking. A recent Marist poll found a majority of New Yorkers oppose legalizing fracking due to its potential to contaminate New York’s watersheds with carcinogens and other toxicants.
With or without regulations in place, fracking is a menace to public health.  It lays down blankets of smog, fills roadway with trucks hauling hazardous materials, sends sediment into streams, and generates immense quantities of radioactive, carcinogen-laced waste for which no fail-safe disposal options exist.

Since fracking began in states outside of New York, there have been more than a thousand reports of water contamination. New studies link fracking-related activities to contaminated groundwater, air pollution, illness, death and reproductive problems in cows, horses and wildlife, and most recently human health problems. A recent study from the Colorado School of Public Health found that those living within a half-mile of a natural gas drilling site faced greater health risks than those who live farther away.

New York has seen a surge of local fracking bans enacted across the state. Overall, 107 muncipalities have enacted bans or moratoria in New York State.  Seventy-one municipalities are also considering or staging a ban or moratorium. In the past few weeks, Buffalo, the second largest city in New York, and Niagara Falls both passed resolutions calling for Governor Cuomo and the state legislature to pass a statewide ban on fracking.

Capitol Confidential: Fracking forces, pro and con, stalk the Capitol.
Gannett’s Press & Sun Bulletin: In fracking fight, protests may be having an impact
North Country Public Radio: Anti-fracking group petitions Cuomo, state government
Gannett’s Politics on the Hudson: Anti-frackers deliver petitions; Pro-frackers meet with lawmakers

Push for Fair Elections Campaign Finance Reform Begins Across New York

Diverse Organizations Join to Execute Coordinated Campaign to Win Publicly Financed Elections for Statewide & Legislative Offices

Albany, NY – A large, diverse group of organizations joined together at the Capitol on Wednesday to announce a new campaign, called Fair Elections for New York, to win public financing of elections and other campaign finance reforms. The campaign marks an unprecedented coordinated effort of national, business, community, good government, faith, and labor to make Fair Elections the top issue during the remaining weeks of this year’s legislative session.

In recent weeks, the campaign began mobilizing grassroots support for Fair Elections in communities across New York State, holding rallies, town hall meetings, and press conferences. As legislators return to Albany this week, campaign partners will embark on a variety of tactics to push the issue, including lobbying, paid media, online organizing, research, and grassroots mobilization.

Starting today, a group of national reform groups, progressive organizations, environmental groups and faith groups are sending emails to their supporters in New York — over one million emails in total — calling on Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature to take action this on Fair Elections this session.

“This unprecedented, coordinated campaign to win Fair Elections campaign finance reform is about shifting the priorities of our government back to the best interests of the people,” said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. “The pieces are in place to change the driving force in elections – away from CEO campaign contributions and back to New Yorkers. We can’t wait any longer, New York needs Fair Elections now.”

Governor Cuomo announced his strong support for Fair Elections during his State of the State address and affirmed his commitment in a press conference after the budget was passed. Governor Cuomo’s Fair Elections plan, modeled on the New York City system, would build on the core of a voluntary public financing system with lower contribution limits, effective enforcement, and ending pay-to-play.

“We need public financing of elections so that regular, working people can participate in our electoral process, both as donors and candidates,” said Alison Hirsh, Political Director for 32BJ SEIU. “Public financing will renew faith in our electoral process, and strengthen our democracy.”

“Fair Elections for New York would put people back in charge of elections in New York,” said Josh Gold, political director at New York’s Hotel & Motel Trades Council. “We are proud to work as a partner in this campaign to boost small donor participation in elections, which will boost the power of our democracy. We can’t afford not to make this critical reform.”

“When regular people are shut out of elections by corporate campaign contributors, the very core of our democracy is threatened,” said Pat Purcell, Assistant to the President, UFCW Local 1500. “In the wake of so many decisions to cut programs and services that New Yorkers rely on every day, we can no longer wait to enact a system of Fair Elections campaign finance reform. With Fair Elections, hedge fund donations won’t matter as much, putting the priorities of New York’s working families front and center.”

Sean Eldridge, president of Hudson River Ventures and founding member of NY LEAD, said, “We joined NY Lead because we believe that the pieces are in place to finally put an end to a campaign finance system that favors special interests over voters. Governor Cuomo has put this issue on the agenda, all of the groups assembled here today represent enormous statewide support, and we are committed to sharing our voices and resources to make reform a reality. Only by implementing the reforms proposed by the Governor can we restore trust in our state government and encourage more New Yorkers to participate in the political process. Reform is good for democracy, it’s good for economic development, and it’s good for the future of the great state of New York.”

“Passing Fair Elections in New York would be the first significant policy reform victory in this post-Citizens United world. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the legislature should set an example for Congress and the country and fix New York’s broken political system.” said Nick Nyhart, president and CEO of Public Campaign.

“Young people throughout New York State want to believe that their government in Albany cares about them,” said Joan Mandle, Executive Director, Democracy Matters. “Fair Elections will restore their trust!”

Sheila Blanding, a member of Community Voices Heard, said “Whenever we go to Albany to ask for solutions to our problems, we are always told that there’s no money fix them. But we know that there is money – it’s just not going to us. It’s going right back to the rich and powerful, and they just happen to be the ones who donate the most to help get legislators elected. With Fair Elections, we’ll finally have the chance to get our voices heard.”

“A different kind of finance reform is needed to create a different kind of Albany. Increasing the power of small donors will increase participation, increase the voice of average citizens in the process and change how policy happens in New York State,” said Lawrence Norden, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.

“For too long, candidates and parties have relied on a small group of well-organized donors for funding,” said Bill Mahoney, Research Coordinator, NYPIRG. “In order to level the playing field for ordinary citizens, New York’s campaign finance system is in need of a complete overhaul.”

“Citizens Union is pleased to see the number and multiple of new voices this year calling for campaign finance reform that includes public financing of elections. For many years, campaign finance reform was an issue championed largely by good government groups. But the pay-to-play culture that marginalizes the public interest has worsened over the years, and there is a growing sense among everyday New Yorkers that their concerns are not adequately heard,” said Dick Dadey, Executive Director of Citizens Union. “The Fair Elections Campaign announced today provides a needed boost in the effort to achieve campaign finance reform, reflecting the diverse political spectrum of support which now exists for a government that is less captive to the special interests and more representative of the people.”

Barbara Bartoletti, Legislative Director for the League of Women Voters of New York State, said, “The League is optimistic that New York’s scandalously lax campaign finance laws might finally be transformed and accompanied by a public financing system that will counter the influence of big money in politics. We believe that real campaign finance reform should accompany public funding with effective enforcement, lower contribution limits, pay-to-play limitations and robust disclosure. We encourage the Legislature to pass the entire package of needed reforms this session.”

“New York legislators have a unprecedented opportunity to both improve democracy in the Empire State and provide a beacon to the nation by enacting a strong public funding of elections bill,” said Rob Werner of Americans for Campaign Reform. “Campaign finance reform is an American issue, not a partisan one.”

“The current campaign finance system forces candidates to rely on big donors who want something in return,” said Dave Palmer, Executive Director of the Center for Working Families. “Public financing and other essential reforms would lessen the influence of big money, increase the voice of average people and facilitate better policy outcomes.”

More information and resources on the campaign for Fair Elections can be found at http://fairelectionsny.org.

Capitol Confidential: http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/126503/campfin-reformers-have-1-5m-workable-budget/

WRGZ: http://www.wgrz.com/video/1537448358001/1/Calling-For-The-End-Of-Out-Of-School-Suspensions
WIVB: http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/buffalo/attorney-believes-parents-can-sue-bps
YNN: http://buffalo.ynn.com/content/top_stories/578803/concerns-over-school-suspension-policy/
WBFO: http://news.wbfo.org/post/groups-call-more-change-school-suspensions

Fox23News: http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story/Groups-urge-lawmakers-to-address-budget-issues/XkVJC-Kig0aa4hAfZ5WCDw.cspx

WTEN: http://www.news10.com/story/17191742/groups-propose-counter-budget

Capitol Confidential: http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/121359/nyffs-counter-budget-close-corporate-tax-loopholes/