Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling and Water

Bath, NY; June 22, 2009

A Public Forum on the Effects of Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling on Local Water Sources

Speakers:

Ron Bishop, lecturer in chemistry and biochemistry at SUNY Oneonta, gives an overview of natural gas extraction technology and explains how water contamination can occur during the gas drilling process.

Steve Penningroth, Executive Director of the state-certified water testing laboratory at the Community Science Institute in Ithaca, describes how to test private and municipal water wells so that landowners and municipal officials can discover problems and have solid scientific baseline water data that will stand up in court should contamination occur.

Community Science Institute's Recommendations for Baseline Water Testing of Private Drinking Water Wells

Andrew Byers, a farmer/botanist from Newfield who has been studying gas drilling issues, describes how community members who are knowledgeable about these issues can take action.

Sponsors: Steuben County Environmental Management Council, Finger Lakes Group of the Sierra Club, League of Women Voters of Steuben County, League of Women Voters of Chemung County, Bath Peace and Justice Group

Keywords: Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling

Elliott Adams on Gaza

In October 2009, Elliott Adams was part of a seven-day delegation to Gaza sponsored by Physicians For Social Responsibility.

The following short biography is provided by Veterans For Peace:

Elliott Adams was a paratrooper in the infantry serving in Viet Nam, Japan, Korea, and Alaska. He has served his local community in a variety of capacities such as: President of the School Board, Mayor, Committee Chair of BSA Explorer Post 17, President of Rotary, Master of the Masonic Lodge.

Elliott left politics to become an activist. Attending untold numbers of demonstrations, working at many levels, from stapling signs to doing logistics and organizing work for United For Peace and Justice and War Resisters League, School Of Americas Watch, Peace Has No Borders, Veterans For Peace and many other organizations, at events across the country.

Elliott moved from being a soldier to a nonviolent warrior. He is Nonviolent Training Coordinator for Veterans For Peace, is a nonviolence trainer for the Fellowship Of Reconciliation and on their CCP Leadership Team. He has also done nonviolence and social movement trainings for School Of Americas Watch, Peacemakers of Schoharie, Student Environmental Action Coalition, War Resistors League, and other groups.

He is now dedicating his life to stopping this war and stopping all war.

Sponsor: Broome County Peace Action

Thanks to: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton

Shikoku Pilgrimage: 88 Temple Tour

Central United Methodist Church
Endicott, NY June 16, 2009

Helena Garan's multimedia presentation detailing her pilgrimage to Shikoku, Japan.

Sponsored by the Susquehanna Group of the Sierra Club.

Gas Drilling: Stories From the Front Line

Broome (NY) Community College; June 15, 2009

Moderated by Dave Rossie
Press & Sun-Bulletin columnist

What every Southern Tier renter and homeowner must know:

• first-hand reports about living next to natural gas wells
• the real story on health impacts, from a world-renowned scientist who exposes what the industry covers up
• what we can do to protect our homes and families

Panelists:

Candace Mingins

Ms. Mingins lives with her husband and three children on their family farm in Van Etten, NY. A well was drilled on their property in 2006. In 2008, she helped organize Shaleshock Citizens Action Coalition.

Theo Colborn, PhD (via remote)

A world-renowned environmental health analyst, Dr. Colborn is founder of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX). She has testified before Congress on the health affects of natural gas production. She is co-author of Our Stolen Future: Are We Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence, and Survival?

Ron Gulla

Pennsylvanian Ron Gulla has farmed since he was ten years old. He worked his way through college to get a degree in business administration. He and his wife Laurel have raised two children on their 118-acre farm, where they have had first-hand experience with a well on their property.

Don Barber

Five-term supervisor of the Town of Caroline, Don Barber grew up on a dairy farm in Danby and still lives on a small farm with his family. He chairs the Tompkins County Council of Governments and also owns a successful residential construction company.

Additional Speakers: Glen Williams, Chris Burger, Stan Scobie

Sponsors: Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition, Shaleshock Citizens Action Coalition, Citizen's Energy Alliance, Citizen Action, The Center for Civic Engagement, Susquehanna Valley Presbyterian (Justice and Mission Committee), Sierra Club, Tioga Peace and Justice

Keywords: Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling

James Petras: U.S.- Latin American Relations 1990-2009

A Talk by Professor James Petras

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton
June 9, 2009

Professor James Petras talks about the disastrous effects of neoliberalism on Latin America, the forces which constrain it, and how the people and governments of that region are fighting back.

Sponsored by Broome County Peace Action