To the editor:
Dear Gov. Cuomo:
We, the students of Saranac Lake High School, are concerned with regard to measures that some have undertaken to convince you to allow hydrofracking in New York state. It is very important to us that these efforts are not permitted to succeed. Hydrofracking is reckless and destructive, and those who seek its legalization are selfish and irresponsible.
Hydrofracking has serious consequences to New York state, both now and in the future. Studies show that it releases massive amounts of methane, one of the most hazardous greenhouse gases and causes dangerous pollution to our fresh water sources. Bill McKibben, activist and environmentalist, has written in depth on the consequences of fracking in several publications. Can we really risk ruining natural water resources? Risk even more coastal flooding, such as what happened during Hurricane Sandy? Destroy landscapes with fracking wells in an area known for its pristine beauty? ("Under the Surface: Fracking, Fortunes, and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale," by Tom Wilber, Cornell University Press, May 2012) We would ask that you place a ban on hydrofracking in New York state to keep our air safe to breathe, preserve our freshwater reserves and ensure that we do not become a state where earthquakes are commonplace. ("Human Triggered Earthquakes Surprisingly Common," by Emily Sohn, Discovery News, Aug. 6, 2012)
We appreciate the concern you expressed for the environment's well being in your State of the State address; now you have the opportunity to support those noble words with action. We hope that you choose to invest in cleaner, more environmentally friendly energy sources rather than wasting money and resources on hydrofracking or other practices that are harmful to the natural world. We are pleading with you to preserve our great state and put us on a path of sustainability for our generation and those to come. We ask that you make the moratorium an outright ban on hydrofracking in New York state, just as Gov. Shumlin has in Vermont.
Sincerely,
The Saranac Lake High School Environmental Club
Samantha Martin, president
Gina Fiorile, vice president
Kennedy Snyder, secretary
Grace Sullivan, treasurer
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Members of Saranac Lake High School in support of the anti-fracking letter:
Rachel Dalton
Emily Fountain
Caitrin Bodmer
Stevie Phelabaum
Kelly Dalton
Carley Sawyer
Haleigh Morgan
Nathalie Munn
Olivia Hunt
Ellen Miner
Mikayla Ploof
Anna Izzo
Hudson Gray
Sean Orman
Cooper Ross
Trisha Wickwire
Ivy Huber
Melissa Moody
Alex Rodriguez
Logan Wood
Justina Hewitt
Sam Martin
Jason Stack
Natalina Bevilacqua
Anna Mader
Kasey Cunningham
Jennifer Moore
Whitney Callaghan
Brooke Walker
Sydney Battistoni
Kiely Branch
Michael Burpoe
Lyle Baillargeon
Matthew Adams
Nick Bayruns
Grant Strack
Daniel Strack
Lizzie Finlayson
Anthony Isabella
Macy Fischer
Chloe Peer
Jack Martin
Taylor Pellerin
Sydney Donaldson
Amber Drosdonic
Alexis Laramie
Maggie Darrah
Courtney Baker
Ashton Bushey
Joey Cross
Amber LaPlante-Dear
Corinne Gambacurta
Kathleen Hay Bullard
Easton Moore
Chaos Rexilius-Tuthill
Anuj Prajapati
Will Lanthier
Kennedy Snyder
Ryan Murray
Shannon Bartholomew (advisor)