By Johnny Linehan in Fracking Hell (UK)

Countries with a ban or moratorium: France, Bulgaria, South Africa – Germany and the Czech Republic seriously considering it.

Major cities with moratoria or bans: Quebec, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Morganstown, Buffalo. (Pittsburgh is finding it difficult to enact the ban because of ‘variances’ overruling their decisions)

The Northern Ireland Assembly voted 49-30 for a moratorium, but the Minister still has not endorsed it.

Ireland: ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL unanimously support a BAN ON FRACKING

LEITRIM COUNTY COUNCIL voted for a MORATORIUM ON FRACKING

CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL unanimously support a BAN ON FRACKING and unanimously voted to amend the county development plan

DONEGAL and SLIGO: BAN ON FRACKING ( 16-01-2012) SLIGO BOROUGH COUNCIL supports the proposal from Clare County Council and Sligo County Council calling on the Government and the Minister for Communications, Energy and natural Resources to BAN the practice of fracking/hydraulic fracturing.

Canada:

British Columbia, Canada:

First Nations people in NW British Columbia enacted a four year moratorium against drilling for natural gas by Royal Dutch Shell in the Sacred Headwaters. Members of the Tahltan First Nation are blockading Shells coal bed methane project in the Sacred Headwaters, the birthplace of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers.

Nova Scotia, Canada:

Nova Scotia citizens call for ban on Nova Scotia fracking. Graham Hutchinson says the province should impose a moratorium on the controversial practice. The group recently presented a petition to Energy Minister Charlie Parker calling for a ban.

The USA

New York State:

Two legislative bills on hydrofrack drilling were considered by the legislature. The Assembly passed an extension of the current moratorium through June of 2012. The Senate did not act on a parallel bill and the issue is closed for the present.

NYS Executive Order calling for a drilling moratorium by former Governor Paterson has been affirmed by Governor Cuomo.

Yates County resolution unanimously passed calls for similar protection treatment of their watershed as that in NYC and Syracuse watersheds.

The Town of Jerusalem (Yates) enacted a moratorium ordinance for their entire township. The one-year moratorium begins when the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) relating to the extraction of natural gas by the process of high-volume hydraulic fracturing now under review by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is finalized.

The Town of Milo is drawing up a moratorium statement for board action.

Dewitt, Tully, Marcellus and Skaneateles have enacted moratoria laws.

Highland, (Sullivan Co) is developing a moratorium statement.

Buffalo has banned hydrofrack drilling and wastewater disposal in their city.

Sullivan County is the first county in New York State to enact a moratorium.

Lumberland (Sullivan Co) is considering a moratorium statement.

Town of Ulysses is establishing industrial zones attempting to restrict the negative impact of drilling in their water supply.

Tompkins County has enacted a ban on fracking on county land.

Broome County: Ban on hydrofracking on county lands. Waste restrictions for fracking cuttings and flow back water established.

Ontario, Sullivan and Onondaga Counties have enacted bans on fracking on county owned land.

Ulster County has banned hydrofrack drilling on county owned lands.

Gorham in Ontario County enacted a moratorium ordinance.

The towns that ring Cooperstown’s reservoir, Otsego Lake — Middlefield, Otsego, Butternuts, and Cherry Valley — are moving to ban or restrict natural gas drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing.

Springfield has adopted local laws prohibiting heavy industry, including gas drilling.

The Medical Society of the State of New York has gone on record supporting a moratorium on gas drilling using high volume hydraulic fracturing.

Cooperstowns Chamber of Commerce has issued a position statement supporting a total ban on fracking due to the impact it will make on their watershed, farming and tourism.

A group of residents have launched a petition drive designed to ban the use of high-volume, slick water hydraulic fracturing in the Town of Caroline, Tompkins County.

The Village of Penn Yan will not accept any hydrofracking wastewater for processing at the village wastewater treatment plant.

New York City has called on the US Congress to remove hydrofrack drillings exemption from the Safe Water Drinking Act.

The Skaneateles Town Board has initiated plans for a ban in their township.

The Otsego County Planning Board approved changes to Middlefield’s master plan and zoning law that would specifically prohibit heavy industry, including gas and oil drilling.

The Board of Trustees of Bassett Medical Center, based in Cooperstown, New York, views the issue of hydrofracking as a public health issue of the highest priorityand resolves that the hydrofracking method of gas drilling constitutes an unacceptable threat to the health of patients, and should be prohibited until such time as it is proven to be safe.

A consortium of interested citizens is planning for a unified moratorium and eventual ban of hydrofrack drilling in the entire Keuka Lake watershed region. To date the towns of Barrington, Milo and Jerusalem have adopted ordinances on a moratorium. Wayne has prepared a resolution for consideration.

Lebanon town board members adopted a memorializing resolution that calls on the New York State Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo to repeal and reform compulsory integration laws in the State of New York that currently govern natural gas development.

A petition drive has resulted in the Dryden Town Board unanimously passing a resolution to move forward with an ordinance to ban fracking.

The Croton Watershed Clean Water Coalition, Inc. has sued the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in New York State Supreme Court to declare High Volume Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing in New York State Forests contrary to the New York State Constitution and applicable environmental laws.

The Otsego Town Board clarified a long-standing prohibition against heavy industry, including fracking for natural gas, in the town’s land use law. By this vote the town, which includes most of the Village of Cooperstown, reaffirmed its home rule right to prohibit drilling through local ordinance. They also approved revisions to its land-use law that strengthen a ban on gas drilling and hydrofracking within the town. The law now specifies that while the removal of gravel, rock, stone, sand, fill, topsoil or “unconsolidated” minerals has been allowed, extraction of natural gas and petroleum is not permitted.

The Common Council of Oneonta voted to ban all forms of natural gas drilling in city limits.

The Town of Wales adopted a community rights ordinance that bans fracking. The ordinance establishes a Bill of Rights for Wales residents and recognizes and secures certain civil and political rights of the residents to govern themselves and protect themselves from harm to their persons, property and environment.

The exploration of land for natural gas by horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing is prohibited in the Town of Camillus.

Brighton became the first municipality in Monroe County to take a position on hydrofrack drilling calling for a state-wide moratorium.

Kirkland has adopted a one-year moratorium on hydrofracking.

New Hartford has adopted a six-month moratorium on hydrofrack drilling for natural gas.

Pennsylvania:

Pittsburgh adopts the first-in-the-nation community rights ordinance which elevates the right of the community to decide, and the rights of nature over the rights associated with corporate personhood. The City Council unanimously adopted this ordinance banning corporations from conducting natural gas drilling in the city.

Luzerne County Lehman Township, ordinance calling for home rule and a ban on drilling within their surrounding township area.

The Board of Supervisors for Licking Township, Clarion County, PA, voted unanimously on Wednesday to adopt an ordinance banning corporations from dumping fracking wastewater in the township. The Licking Township Community Water Rights and Self-Government Ordinance is the first ordinance of its kind adopted in Pennsylvania to confront the threat of Marcellus Shale drilling.

Cresson has enacted legislation banning fracking.

Washington Township has banned fracking.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Council unanimously passed the pro-moratorium Resolution on Marcellus Shale Drilling Environmental and Economic Impacts.

The Borough Council of West Homestead, Pennsylvania, unanimously adopted an ordinance that enacts a Local Bill of Rights, along with a prohibition on natural gas extraction to protect those rights. The bill, titled West Homestead Boroughs Community Protection from Natural Gas Extraction Ordinance; establishes specific rights of West Homestead residents, including the Right to Water, the Rights of Natural Communities, the Right to a Sustainable Energy Future, and the Right to Community Self-Government.

Philadelphia refuses to purchase Marcellus Shale gas as the dumping of flow back waters is polluting their water supply.

Collier Township upgraded its natural gas drilling ordinance to enhance their Marcellus Shale ordinance that would push drillers farther away from schools and provide baseline measurements for noise levels at drilling sites.

United Methodists representing 950 churches across central and Northeast Pennsylvania passed a resolution calling for a temporary halt in gas well drilling in the Marcellus Shale as well as an impact tax on those places where drilling already has taken hold.

Religious groups such as the Sisters of Saint Francis of Philadelphia have advocated against fracking and in April, 2011, America, the national magazine of the Jesuits editorialized very critically about the process.

Baldwin Borough Council adopted a community rights ordinance that bans the corporate extraction of natural gas.

Arkansas:

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against companies that drill for natural gas in central Arkansas. The suit is asking for millions of dollars in relation to the earthquakes associated with the fracking process the companies use. The damages enumerated in the suit are property damage, loss of fair market value in real estate, emotional distress, and damages related to the purchase of earthquake insurance.

Maryland:

The first community in Maryland, Mountain Lake Park, adopted an ordinance banning corporations from natural gas drilling.

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has sent a letter to Chesapeake Energy Corporation and its affiliates, notifying the companies of the State of Maryland’s intent to sue for violating the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Governor Martin O’Malleyhas signed an executive order for a three year moratorium on drilling in MD while studies continue.

New Jersey:

The New Jersey Assembly voted to ban hydraulic fracturing in NJ in a bipartisan overwhelming vote (58 to 11, 8 abstained), following the landslide vote 32-1 earlier in the day by the NJ Senate. New Jersey is the first state legislature to ban fracking.

Ohio:

Wellsburg City Council approved an ordinance prohibiting natural gas drilling in or within one mile of the city as concerns mounted about the city’s water being contaminated by procedures in hydrofrack drilling. A reservoir serving the city is beside property that Chesapeake Energy is leasing for drilling.

Virginia:

George Washington National Forest has disallowed horizontal drilling for natural gas within its 1.1 million acres of territory while opening up segments of the forest to the potential for wind energy construction.

Texas:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has signed a bill requiring drillers to publicly disclose the chemicals they use when extracting oil and gas from dense rock formations, the first state to pass such a law.

West Virginia:

Wellsville has banned fracking.

Lewisburg has banned fracking within their city limits.

Morgantown banned fracking in the city and within one mile of the city limits as well.

Coming third behind Boris and Ken is a phenomenal achievement.
Watch her entertaining speech here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vqDBqKXTamQ

(It is a long time since I felt proud to be a Londoner! – Andy)

This result was re-enforced by third place in the London Assembly elections:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17811895

REVISED FINAL SCORE

GAIN 8

HOLD 18

LOSS 4

NET +3

GAINS FROM:

Con 5

Lab 2

LD 1

This positive set of results for the Greens is a clear sign that our party is growing in confidence and steadily building support. Weve made some superb gains in the West Midlands and Yorkshire, as well as holding firm in key battlegrounds such as Norwich, where the Greens remain the official Council opposition. I want to congratulate all of our candidates up and down the country on their hard work, great ideas and strong commitment in this elections campaign, and to thank all of those who voted for a greener, fairer future at the ballot box. Caroline Lucas, Green Party Leader and MP.

“All across Britain people felt that the gap between the rich and the poor was too scandalous to ignore and the drastic cuts to the benefit system coupled with the rising threat of NHS privatisation helped people to realise that this government is fundamentally uninterested in protecting the well-being of its citizens.”

“People have grown tired of the lack of difference between the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats and have voted accordingly. The Green Party’s vision is of a fair society which values social justice as well as environmental well-being. We take their trust very seriously and will continue to work on councils across the country and nationally to promote Green Party policies and create a fairer society.”

The Scottish Green Party also celebrate having 6 new councillors taking the total up to 14.

“This demonstrates that we are the third party and the only alternative to Labour and SNP.” Patrick Harvie MSP

In this context we can be very proud of achieving the following at the first attempt (*see below):

• Kathy Lewis not only secured a commendable 15% of voters support in the strongly contested Bryntirion, Llaeston & Merthyr Mawr ward, but also has become our first Community Councillor on Laleston Community Council – with about 55% of voters support and fourth place out of 7 candidates, fighting for 5 seats.
• Gareth Harris secured a fantastic 24% of the vote against the current mayor and Labour stalwart in Bettws.
• Neil Rogers secured an excellent 19% of the vote in the Tory stronghold of St Brides Major (over the border in VoGCBC)
• Laurie Brophy secured a highly commendable 15% of the voters support in Hendre – Pencoed.
• Trish Evans managed about 8.5% in the very difficult and hotly contested Morfa (town centre) ward.
• Every candidate surpassed the minimum goal of 5% of the votes in the County Council elections (needed to secure deposits back in bigger elections).
• Gareth Harris and Delyth Miller pushed the Labour incumbents hard in the Garw Valley Community Council battle in Bettws and took nearly a third of the votes.
• Andy Chyba pushed the high profile Plaid Cymru candidate into last place for Brackla Community Council and came within 90 votes of a seat with 500 votes (and was within 20 votes of second place in Coity).
• The unsung hero has to be John Evans, who as our Election Agent has the appreciation of all of us for a job impeccably well done, but has also been recognised for his great work by the Elections Officers at the Council Offices – and still managed to pull out commendable results in Ynysawdre (County Council) and Morfa (Town Council).

There is, of course, plenty to ponder on and learn from, but overall, we can all hold up heads up high. The political scene in Bridgend now knows that we are here to stay and will look to hold them to account and continue to raise the awareness of the people of Bridgend that we are here to offer genuine alternatives to the stale diet of centre right politics offered by the more established parties.

The really bad news from these elections is largely two-fold:

Firstly, the abysmal turnout (unconfirmed – but predicted to be low 30s %) emphasises just how disengaged the general public is with our politics. There is very little trust or faith in politicians in general. This cannot be our fault in the Green Party, but it is our challenge to show that we really are a fresh and trustworthy alternative that are worthy of being elected.

Secondly, given the appalling mess that the economy and so many other policy areas (education, health, foreign policy, etc) are currently in, it was ripe for a swing to the left. We could reasonably have hoped that this would translate itself into big swings to the Greens and Plaid Cymru. After all, who still perceives the Labour Party as a left wing party? It seems that many people in Bridgend still have not caught up with the political realities of ‘New Labour’. And where is the logic in turning away from the coalition parties that are screwing up every attempt to tackle our problems, and turning back to the party that largely created the problems by, in turn, politically aligning themselves to the capitalists and social nihilists of their predecessors – Thatcher’s Tories superceded by Blair’s New Labour.

I repeat my sincere respect for the numerous socialists hanging on in there in the local Labour Party, but I cannot help but worry about the consequences of an influx of new generation New Labour people into the council chamber. In addition, the overwhelming majority now held by Labour in Bridgend is a recipe for complacency and inertia. But this is where we will endeavour to make a contribution – by scrutinising their actions and holding them to account wherever we can, and constructively encouraging and supporting them to do the right things when we can.

These elections mark the end of the beginning for Bridgend Green Party. We will now look to build on this and ensure that there we can provide a legacy that we can be proud to leave to the next generations, rather than the unsustainable mess we are living through right now. If the future is to be bright – it simply has to be Green!

Upwards and onwards.

Andy Chyba
Chair of Bridgend Green Party.

*All % figures subject to official ratification of the number of voting papers.

Watch and learn!

http://www.ted.com/talks/amory_lovins_a_50_year_plan_for_energy.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2012-05-02&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

In this intimate talk filmed at TED’s offices, energy theorist Amory Lovins lays out the steps we must take to end the world’s dependence on oil (before we run out). Some changes are already happening — like lighter-weight cars and smarter trucks — but some require a bigger vision.

His new book and site, Reinventing Fire, offers actionable solutions for four energy-intensive sectors of the economy: transportation, buildings, industry and electricity. Lovins has always focused on solutions that conserve natural resources while also promoting economic growth.

Top quote: Fire made us human, fossil fuels made us modern, but now we need a new fire that makes us safe, secure, healthy and durable.

In case you missed it yesterday, Channel 4 News ran a package about the laughable notion of the Conservatives’s being the ‘greenest Government ever’, followed by a short report on the Green party and the local elections, including brief interview with Caroline and some footage from the campaign trail(at 3 mins 34 sec) :
http://www.channel4.com/news/catch-up/display/playlistref/260412/clipid/260412_CLIMATE_26

We keep hearing that there is no alternative to public spending cuts and that, at the same time, we somehow need to stimulate economic growth. The economic illiteracy of this nonsense has just been illustrated by the the ‘shock’ announcement that we are now in a double dip recession. The Green Party has been been expecting it for more than a year. The inevitability of it has been eloquently explained by Dr Molly Scott Cato at Conference, in public meetings and in her writings for quite some time.

http://www.economicvoice.com/forums/showthread.php/10086-A-Green-Paradox-of-Thrift?p=10513#post10513

http://www.economicvoice.com/the-green-party-saw-the-double-dip-recession-coming/50029410#axzz1tFIRIBOy

As this latter piece explains:

Molly argues that politicians are looking at the economy in the wrong way. They see council or government spending as an expense that must be minimised. For many politicians who have run businesses cutting back on these expenses would seem to be the logical and understandable thing to do as it is exactly what they would do for their own business.

But the problem, says Molly, is that when making cuts you should understand the boundaries of your business. For a small business this is relatively easy to define and understand. But when dealing with local government for example, your business boundary encompasses all the businesses and household etc within the local economy.

Any money that is spent within the local economy should therefore be looked at as an income, rather than as an expense. What politicians should be doing is minimising leakage from the local economy, not strangling spending within it. To cut your own budgets to the bone, or not to spend money budgeted in this period, is like cutting your own income rather than cutting your own outgoings, she says.

By cutting back on local and central government spending within the boundaries we are adversely affecting the circulation of money she says. This then leads to shrinkage, a lower tax take and a growing deficit (sound familiar?).

Molly claims that government spending could generate a virtuous circle with local government acting as a positive multiplier stimulating local economies as money is spent, re-spent and taxed.

At the moment she says we are seeing the reverse effect both national and local governments cut spending and this reduces their spending with businesses and reduces the revenue they gain from businesses. This happens when councils cut jobs, so, as a key local employer, the decision many local councils have taken to cut their staffing levels will inevitably reduce spending by their employees in the local economy.

This is the realm of Danny Blanchflowers death spiral she says.

But it doesnt end with councils just spending more. There is, as you would expect, a green element that must always be considered, especially in our very finite world.

We are also boxed in by an environmental crisis she says and must also be thrifty with our resources. In the past we just consumed more, which was OK until we hit the ecological buffers. But now that we have Our duty must be to become ecological citizens, to prioritise happiness founded on relationship and virtue rather than on material acquisition.

To dos this she says, we must learn to acknowledge our ecological limits and rely on local rather than global multipliers.

It may seem paradoxical but in fact it is entirely consistent to pursue an economic strategy that acknowledges the paradox of thrift while simultaneously arguing that we should learn to flourish within ecological limits. What a green economist would aim for is the substitution of local economic activity for global economic activity.

In short:

The pressure is working, and this is our best chance to save the bees. Sign the urgent petition and send this to everyone; let’s reach half a million signers and deliver it directly to shareholders tomorrow in Germany!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/bayer_save_the_bees/?vl

Bridgend & District Beekeeping Association website: www.bridgendbeekeepers.co.uk

B&DBKA is committed to the education of new and improving beekeepers. They also aim to educate the general public on the importance of bees in our Eco-system and hope to reduce the fears that many people have of these tiny insects. If you are a budding beekeeper then please do contact them and perhaps go along to one of their open apiary sessions to see for yourself the wonder of beekeeping.

Key snippets:

“Voting wont interrupt the daily routine of 7,085 residents in Bridgend county borough next Thursday.” (5 uncontested seats – or Democracy Desertsas the ERS puts it so aptly)

Meaningless votes: All of the 96 democracy deserts are single member wards. Yet seats which elect more than one member (multi-member wards) are even more unfair under the current system as a party can gain all the seats as many as 5 despite not winning a majority of the vote. Most multi-member wards are held by one party, because the system doesnt allow for a politics that accurately reflects the diverse needs and interests of the community.
Across Wales at the last local government election in 2008 two thirds of voters might as well have thrown their ballot paper in the bin as only 34% of votes cast actually got a councillor elected.

• In the Morriston ward in Swansea, Labour won ALL of the 5 seats, despite gaining 39.6% of the vote.
• In the Plasnewydd ward in Cardiff, the Lib Dems won ALL of the 4 seats, despite gaining only 44% of the vote.

Under the current system those who finish 3rd can still go on to win. In the starkest example from last election the Lib Dems came third in Cardiff according to the number of votes they won, but gained twice as many seats as the Conservatives, who won the most votes.

This crazy system means that in Bridgend CBC – on top of the 5 councillors ‘elected’ with zero votes – even in contested seats, it is entirely possible to win a seat with just 200 votes in some wards, whereas it takes a minimum of 1000 votes to get elected in Brackla.

This may possibly work to our advantage in one or two places, but overall it acts a barrier to people getting involved (voting as well as standing) in the process that is so important in shaping our lives – and tends to lead to the main parties congregating in the same ground of perceived majority opinion – as seen with the three main parties.

This is also leads to people not voting for what they really want: http://voteforpolicies.org.uk/

Returning to the ERS report:

The winner takes all feature of FPTP is an unfairness which is repeated in county after county across the country.

The case for reform: Scotland had similar problems, but in 2007 moved to a fairer system of electing local councillors. There are now no single member wards in Scotland. Local voters there get to express a preference at the ballot box, ranking in order their preferred candidates. In comparison, the Scottish local elections under STV meant that 74% of voters got their first choice of councillor elected. The unfair situation where the winner takes all is avoided as seats are distributed more proportionately.

Its a system that the 2004 Sunderland Commission, established by the then Labour and Liberal Democrat partnership government, recommended. Its a system that would have provided a vote to the 140,000 Welsh taxpayers who live in one of the 96 democracy deserts. Its a system that the Welsh Government must now get on and implement. Wales cannot afford to waste a further 8 years waiting for fair votes.

Hear, Hear!

People Will Die – The End Of The NHS. Part 1: The Corporate Assault

Few political acts have exposed the sham of British democracy like the decision to dismantle the National Health Service. In essence, the issues are simple:

1. The longstanding obligation of the UK government to provide universal health care has now been ditched.

2. The NHS is being carved open for exploitation by private interests.

The media, notably the BBC often ranked alongside the NHS as one of the countrys greatest institutions – have failed to report this corporate assault on the countrys health service.

What is deeply disturbing is how little the British public has been told about what has happened, and about the likely consequences for an institution we all hold dear.

SEE THE REST HERE:

http://www.medialens.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=676:people-will-die-the-end-of-the-nhs-part-1-the-corporate-assault-&catid=25:alerts-2012&Itemid=69

People Will Die – The End Of The NHS. Part 2: Buried By The BBC

Every day, researcher Éoin Clarke runs a check on the number of parts of the NHS that have been ‘carved up and offered to privateers that day. The sad news is that the NHS sell off is indeed accelerating.’ Clarke has identified 81 NHS contracts worth a total of more than £2 billion that are set to be privatised, or have recently been so. He adds that there are over 2,300 ‘chunks of the NHS that private companies can now bid for.’ Amazingly, ‘cuddly’ Richard Branson’s Virgin now controls 18 NHS contracts across 15 English counties.

SEE THE REST HERE:

http://www.medialens.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=678:people-will-die-the-end-of-the-nhs-part-2-buried-by-the-bbc&catid=25:alerts-2012&Itemid=69

SUGGESTED ACTION (from Media Lens)

The goal of Media Lens is to promote rationality, compassion and respect for others.

If you do write to journalists, we strongly urge you to maintain a polite, non-aggressive and non-abusive tone.

Please write to:

Helen Boaden, BBC Head of News

Email: helenboaden.complaints

Nick Robinson, BBC political editor

Email: Nick.Robinson01

You can also submit official complaints here (although note our previous cautionary remarks about the BBC complaints system here).

If you choose this route, your case will be strengthened if you argue that BBC news reporting breaches BBC editorial guidelines. The relevant general principles are 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.2.3, 4.2.4. Of particular note here are: 4.4.2 and 4.4.9.

Please consider becoming involved in campaigns to save the NHS, e.g. 38 Degrees