NEW COALITION DEMANDS THAT NEW YORK “HALT THE HARM” FROM FOSSIL FUELS AND MAKE THE STATE 100% FRACK-FREE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW COALITION DEMANDS THAT NEW YORK “HALT THE HARM” FROM FOSSIL FUELS AND MAKE THE STATE 100% FRACK-FREE

June 14, 2016

CONTACTS:Pramilla Malick: (646) 498-1742

Ruth Foster: (518) 588-0187

ALBANY, NY—Over 30 grassroots and community organizations, in partnership with establishedanti-fracking organizations, have formed a new coalition called United Against Fossil Fuels (UAFF) with the mission of eliminating all fossil fuel dependency in New York State. The group is holding their first press conference Tuesday, June 14th at Noon on the Million Dollar Staircase at the Capitol. UAFF calls for the rejection of all pending fossil fuel infrastructure approvals, such as the Crestwood Gas Storage facility at Seneca Lake and the Dominion New Market Pipeline Expansion, along with an immediate halt to projects under construction now, including the Spectra AIM Pipeline and the CPV Valley Energy Project. All of these projects harm public health and exacerbate climate change. UAFF is calling on Governor Cuomo to use his executive authority immediately to protect the health, safety, and future of New Yorkers.

Despite a moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracturing, and the recent decision to reject a state permit for the Constitution Pipeline, New York is faced with an unprecedented proliferation of fracked gas and oil infrastructure, including pipelines, power plants, compressor stations, storage facilities, and crude oil trains—there are currently dozens of new fracked oil and gas projects planned in the state. Moreover, nearly three quarters of proposed new electricity generation in the state’s queue is from gas. The coalition notes that New York’s overall use of gas has increased 18% since 2009. “New York has said no to high-volume fracking, but it has not said no to fracked gas,” says Keith Schue of Otsego 2000.

Actor and activist James Cromwell, another UAFF member, says “Our message to the fossil fuel industry is: ‘You are no longer welcome in New York State.’” Cromwell will deliver this message at the group’s press conference Tuesday. The group intends to use a variety of strategies to ensure that the state rapidly transitions to 100% renewable energy, including engaging the regulatory, legislative, and political processes. UAFF has already endorsed the “Stop Pilgrim Pipelines Bill” (A10468/S7979), sponsored by Assemblyman Frank Skartados (D-Milton), who will also speak at the event about the importance of the bill.

UnitedAgainstFossilFuels.org

Many member groups have engaged in non-violent civil disobedience, such as blockades at the CPV Valley and Spectra AIM construction sites. There have been more than 600 arrests at theCrestwood/Con-Ed Gas Storage Facility at Seneca Lake. UAFF further demands that state regulatory processes and policies, such as Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) and the State Energy Plan, eradicate all incentives for gas.

UAFF notes the 119% increase in gas industry lobbying money in New York State since 2011, including substantial donations by Spectra Energy and Competitive Power Ventures (now the subject of a federal probe), and calls for a full investigation as well as legislative action to stop the influence of money on the regulatory process. In 2015 alone, the gas industry spent $1.3 million on lobbying in New York State. “What are they buying with this money? Is it our health and safety,” says Pramilla Malick, of Protect Orange County. “It’s time for state and federal agencies to put safety before the profits of the gas industry,” says Suzy Winkler, of People, Not Pipelines.

Mary Finneran of FrackBustersNY notes that despite the fracking ban, New York still allows its landfills to accept fracking-related products: “New York State must stop permitting radioactive frack waste from Pennsylvania coming into our landfills; millions of toxic tons to date have poisoned air, soil, water, and people.”

The primary mission of UAFF is to support impacted communities fighting fossil fuel infrastructure while challenging systemic causes of New York’s fossil fuel dependency.

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PROJECTS OF CONCERN INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

Astoria Generating Company South Pier Improvement Combustion Turbine; Caithness Long Island II Generator; Connecticut Expansion Pipeline; CPV Lateral Pipeline; CPV Valley Power Plant; Crestwood Midstream Gas Storage Facility; Cricket Valley Power Plant; Dominion New Market Pipeline; Empire Northern Access Pipeline; Freeville-Lansing Reinforcement Project; Greenridge Power Plant; Hake’s Landfill (Fracked Waste Facility); Lowman Chemung County Landfill (Fracked Waste Facility); Millennium East Side Expansion Pipeline; New York Bay Expansion (Transco/Williams) Pipeline; NRG Energy Berrains GT Generators I, II, & III; NRG Energy Bowline Generation Station; Pilgrim Pipelines; Ramapo Expansion (Millennium) Pipeline; South-to-NorthIroquois (SoNo) Pipeline; Spectra Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM); Spectra Atlantic Bridge; Spectra Access Northeast; Stagecoach Pipelines & Storage Company’s gas storage facilities; Transportation of Bakken Crude Oil along 1,000 miles of NYS Railways (“Bomb” Trains); US Power Generation Co. Luyster Creek Energy Generator; and many others.

UnitedAgainstFossilFuels.org

COMMENTS FROM UAFF MEMBER GROUPS

“SAPE is proud to join our fellow New Yorkers, members of the coalition United Against Fossil Fuels, to demand a halt to the build-out of all gas infrastructure in New York State. We urge Governor Cuomo to direct all state agencies to rescind all permits for the Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) project and to deny all permits for future fossil fuel projects. The AIM pipeline operator, Spectra Energy, has spent 3.19 million dollars lobbying in New York State since 2007. Governor Cuomo’s and other elected officials’ primary responsibility is to protect public health and safety. They were not elected to represent the interests of a private multi-billion dollar fossil fuel company. They have failed at this responsibility by allowing the AIM project to go forward.”

—Jerry Ravnitzky, Co-founder, Stop Algonquin Pipeline Expansion

“The CPV Valley Power Plant is not only unlawful but also inconsistent with Governor Cuomo’s energy and climate goals. Moreover, it is incoherent to approve a project dependent on fracked-gas knowing the health harms from high-volume fracking. Evidence of improper lobbying in this project warrants and open and transparent investigation which can only be credible if construction is first immediately stopped. Governor Cuomo must halt construction if he really wants to halt corruption!”—Pramilla Malick, Protect Orange County

“We call on New York State to deny all permits related to Crestwood and Con Ed’s proposed gas storage facilities in unstable salt caverns under the shores of Seneca Lake. These storage facilities will supply the gas that flows to the CPV Compressor Station via the Millennium Pipeline. From the impact of accidents to contributions to climate change, the lives and livelihoods of all state residents are threatened by the Crestwood Con Edproject.”—Doug Couchon of We Are Seneca Lake

“Twenty-six municipalities in New York State oppose the two Pilgrim oil pipelines, which would increase oil trains in New York State, put the Hudson River and 232 other waterways at risk, increase greenhouse gas emissions, and harm human health. We ask Governor Cuomo to deny Pilgrim permission to use the New York State Thruway Right of Way for their proposed oil pipelines, and we urge the state legislature to pass Assembly A10468/S07979 to give our towns a say regarding these dangerous, unnecessary pipelines.”—Iris Marie

Bloom, Coalition Against Pilgrim Pipelines-New York

“People along a 200-mile swath of New York are threatened by Dominion’s New Market Project that would push more fracked gas through a pipeline that’s over 50 years old. A pipeline much younger than that blew up in Pennsylvania just a month ago, destroying homes and sending a man to the hospital with third degree burns over much of his body,” says Suzy Winkler of People, Not Pipelines. “It’s time for state and federal agencies to put safety before profits of the gas industry.”

“Can you imagine putting a 42-inch diameter high pressure, fracked gas pipeline under the “bomb train” tracks, across the Hudson River, and next to the decaying Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, that’s by the intersection of two earthquake fault lines? Apparently FERC and the NRC are fine with that. More than 20 million at-risk New Yorkers shouldn’t be!”—Nancy Vann, Founder, Safe Energy Rights Group (SEnRG)

“Governor Cuomo, we know about health problems around Millennium Pipeline’s Minisink and Hancock operations. They have been documented. It’s on the record. If you do nothing, make no mistake, this is yourFlint.”—George Billard, Sullivan County Residents Against Millennium (SCRAM)

“Landfills in Central and Western New York have received tens of millions of tons of radioactive drill cuttings from Pennsylvania frack fields managed by the Casella “family” of Vermont (formerly of NYC) and permitted by the DEC, poisoning the waterways of NY via leachate going to the water treatment plants and dumped into our waters. How does waste from Pennsylvania, profiting a company from Vermont, benefit New York state? Cuomo, please tell the DEC stop the permitting of these toxic frack waste sites, and to permit no new expansions.”—Mary Finneran, FrackBustersNY & Coalition to Protect New York

“Stop NY Fracked Gas Pipeline was organized to stop the Northeast Energy Direct fracked gas pipeline proposed from the fracking fields of Pennsylvania through New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire to Dracut, near Boston. Now that the application has been withdrawn, our 1,500 membership wants to use their knowledge to continue to educate the public about the dangers of fossil fuels, help stop other fossil fuel infrastructure projects, and help to create renewable energy alternatives.”—Becky Meier, Co-founder, Stop

New York Fracked Gas Pipeline

UnitedAgainstFossilFuels.org

“Mothers Out Front is mobilizing mothers across New York State to demand a swift, just, and complete transition off of fossil fuels. Organizing teams in Rochester, the Adirondacks, and Albany are focusing on stopping the “Bomb Trains” from entering our state. Hundreds of these trains, laden with highly volatile fracked oil from the Bakken region, pass close by homes, schools, farms and pristine natural areas each week putting our communities at risk. Organizing teams in Westchester, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier are concerned about gas pipelines, storage facilities, and compressor stations. The build out of fracked gas infrastructure on lands taken by eminent domain and the poisoning of air near our homes and communities is unacceptable. The extraction, transportation, storage, and combustion of fracked oil and gas is accelerating the pace of atmospheric warming and must be stopped if our children are to inherit a livable planet. We are asking our Governor and state agencies to invest immediately in long-term, large-scale, offshore wind to power the state’s electrical grid.” —LisaMarshall, Mothers Out Front

“Governor Cuomo’s ban on fracking was only the first step,” says Bob Cohen, Policy Director of Citizen Action of New York, a statewide membership organization with chapters and affiliates in seven locations in New York State. “We need to stop the fossil fuel infrastructure, including gas pipelines and compressor stations and bomb trains, which are threatening the health of communities members and contributing to climate change. Citizen Action looks forward to working with the grassroots groups in this dynamic new coalition to fight fossil fuel projects throughout the state.”

“The NY Connecticut Expansion requires hazardous waste to be continually generated, removed, and transported near two rivers that flow into the Hudson. This sensitive watershed would be exposed to Kinder Morgan’s construction of the project through agricultural land, near residential neighborhoods, and at the foot of a ball field. It will traverse two rivers and wetlands. It invades threatened Northern Harrier grasslands and Bald Eagle flyways. It is incompatible with rational thought, the precautionary principle, and basic science to proceed with thisproject.”—Grace Nichols, Bethlehem Ecodefense

“It’s time for Governor Cuomo and our other elected leaders to say no to the maze of fracking infrastructure projects threatening the health and safety of New Yorkers in every corner of the Empire State.”—Alex

Beauchamp, Northeast Region Director, Food & Water Watch

Current UAFF Members

UnitedAgainstFossilFuels.org