MEDIA ALERT for 4/17: Three Peaceful Protesters Including Dr. Sandra Steingraber to Face Judge Wed. Evening

MEDIA ALERT

For Immediate Release April 15, 2013

Contacts: Jack Ossont 607-243-7262, sandhill1@frontier.net

Chris Tate 607-351-3768, ctate@lightlink.com

Three Peaceful Protesters Including Dr. Sandra Steingraber to Face Judge Wed. Evening

Press event and rally will be held in Watkins Glen before 7 PM arraignment.

Who: Melissa Chipman, Michael Dineen, and Sandra Steingraber, PhD, of the Seneca Lake 12

What: Press Event 5:00 pm, Glen Harbor/Seneca Harbor Station Marina Park, south end of Seneca Lake off of N. Decatur St., Watkins Glen

Rally 5:30 pm, Same location

Hearing 7:00 pm, Reading Town Court, 3914 Co. Rd 28, Watkins Glen

When: Wednesday April 17, 2013, Three events, two locations, see above

The three defendants will explain their decision to engage in civil disobedience and announce their further intentions at a press event/rally before their court appearances. Both events will be held in the park next to the marina in the Glen Harbor area of Watkins Glen, beginning at 5 PM.

The hearing will take place in Reading Town Court at 7:00 pm and will include the arraignment of biologist and author Sandra Steingraber, PhD, distinguished scholar in residence at Ithaca College and a prominent critic of fracking and its related infrastructure, along with Schuyler County resident and businesswoman Melissa Chipman and Seneca County resident and farm owner Michael Dineen.

Background

The “Seneca Lake 12” were arrested on March 18 for blockading the gas compressor station site at the southwest end of Seneca Lake. They did so to demonstrate their opposition to the intentions of Inergy, LLC, a Missouri-based company, to force industrialization of a lake that serves as the source of drinking water for 100,000 people—and eventually the entire Finger Lakes region.

Without consent from local affected communities, Inergy plans to turn the region into a fossil fuel transportation and storage hub for the Northeast. This threatens public health and safety, and would adversely affect the local tourist and agricultural economy. The protesters foresee that this is an early step in a build-out of infrastructure to support the distribution of shale gas from fracking, a dubious method of extreme energy extraction which has had myriad toxic consequences in other states.

Five of the Seneca Lake 12 have already appeared in court and were ordered to pay fines of $375 each. The previous arrestees paid their fines, with the financial support of the local community.

Further background, video, photos, quotes, https://ourfutureisunfractured.wordpress.com/

The next three Seneca Lake 12 defendants will appear in Reading Town Court on May 1.

Contact

For Melissa Chipman and Michael Dineen: Jack Ossont 607-243-7262,sandhill1@frontier.net

For Sandra Steingraber: Chris Tate 607-351-3768, ctate@lightlink.com

Join us on 4/17 for Court Hearing for “Seneca Lake 12”

Apr16

RSVP on Facebook

UPDATE: At 5 pm, we’ll gather with music for a pre-hearing RALLY at Watkins Glen Harbor Park. The defendants will speak 5:30-6ish pm. Map available here.
Directions to rally: From Rte 414 (“4th St”) in Watkins Glen, turn north on Decatur St; go the end, to edge of Seneca Lake.

After the rally, come to the court hearing for citizens who were arrested for blocking the gates of Inergy, on Seneca Lake. Arrive by 6:45; seating is limited to 47. Hearing dates:
April 17: Melissa Chipman, Michael Dineen & Sandra Steingraber
May 1: Jim Borra, Spike Jones & Margie Rodgers. And Jeremy Alderson of the “Seneca 3” whose action took place in September.

Past hearings:
March 20: KC Alvey, Dennis Fox & Jack Ossont.
April 3: Crow Marley, Katya Andersson & Mahats Miller. They were all fined the max, $375/each. Many thanks to everyone who donated. We raised enough to pay the fines for all 12, although some chose to pay it themselves. Any surplus will go to support future actions.

Why the blockade? Why should we be concerned?
Seneca Lake supplies drinking water for over 100,000 people. This is threatened by an out-of-state corporation that wants to store massive amounts of highly explosive NGLs (Natural Gas Liquids including Liquefied Propane Gas or “LPG”), Butane and Methane (“natural gas”) in the salt caverns under the lake, caverns which have already been deemed unreliable for this purpose. http://www.inergylp.com/inergy-Services/NGLstorage/fingerlakes.asp

Inergy’s stated business goal is to turn Watkins Glen into the NE hub of transportation and storage for NGLs. They plan to massively expand infrastructure support for fracking and fossil fuels at a time when we need to stop dangerous global warming and climate instability. Inergy’s plan would industrialize our landscapes, clog our roads, adversely impact winery-tourism, and pollute our air and water. We say “NO” to Inergy, “NO” to more infrastructure for fossil fuels.

If you feel these citizens stood up for your interests, please show your support. We will post updates here. Thank you!

Not a Single Inch We’ll Give

Mar18

We will fight at the pipelines,
We will fight at the rigs,
We will fight at the compressors,
Not a single inch we’ll give.

We will fight in Watkins Glen,
We will fight in Minisink,
We will fight in Horseheads,
Not a single inch we’ll give.

LIVE UPDATES

Mar18

10:00: Protesters have linked arms and deployed a banner reading “Our Future is Unfractured, We Are Greater Than Dirty Inergy”, blockading the entrance of the Inergy facility in Watkins Glen. Sandra Steingraber PhD., biologist, author and Trumansburg, NY resident, is risking arrest alongside residents of Seneca Lake and local college students to oppose Kansas City, MO based Inergy, LP’s natural gas and liquid petroleum gas storage facility, which would lock in natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale region. The blockade joins a growing national movement to call attention to environmental injustices caused by unconventional and extreme fossil fuel extraction techniques, including Inergy’s hotly debated salt cavern gas storage facility proposed for Reading, NY.

10:21: Sheriff has just arrived on scene as eleven blockaders and their supporters sing: “We will fight on the pipelines, we will fight on the rigs, we will fight on the compressors, not a single inch we’ll give.”

10:30: Sheriff deputy: “I’m asking you to move, because there will be other people coming up here, and they might not be as nice to you as me.”

10:35: One blockader, on the truck attempting to enter the facility: “I’m glad the truck’s here, so we’re risking arrest for actually doing something.”

10:38: Police have asked blockaders to move, giving a ten minute warning. Blockade remains strong with another chorus of, “Not a single inch we’ll give!”

10:41: Five minute warning.

10:45: Truck attempting to enter the facility has turned away and left, truck attempting to exit has not moved.

10:48: Police confiscate banner.

10:50: Five arrests, four blockaders and one legal observer. Legal observers are traditionally respected in their role as non-participants, but one has been arrested for accidentally having one foot on Inergy property.

10:54: Second round of arrests, four blockaders handcuffed. State trooper arrives on scene, joining four other police vehicles.

10:56: Truck leaves facility, passing three remaining blockaders.

11:04: Mother, biologist and author Sandra Steingraber, Green Umbrella organizer KC Alvey, and local organizer Jack Ossont are last of blockaders to face arrest. The facility was successfully blockaded for one hour. Jail support is tracking arrestees and our medics are making sure they have everything they need.

12:46: All arrestees released, cited with trespassing violations.

Protect the Finger Lakes

Mar18

Watkins Glen residents have been working hard to ensure the DEC gives adequate attention to legitimate scientific and socioeconomic concerns about the Inergy natural gas facility. The DEC’s current draft analysis of the environmental impacts is completely inadequate, ignoring the local health impacts from air pollution. The DEC also neglects to mention the detrimental impact on the thriving wineries and tourist economy in the area.

Residents are committed to stand up for themselves if regulators won’t. We will resist the fracking infrastructure that the industry is trying to sneak through the back door. This fight is key to deciding New York’s energy future. Are we going to be won over by out-of-state energy companies? Or are we going to protect our health, our communities, and our economy by standing up to Inergy?