LETTER: Ask Not to Duck the Issue of Hydrofracking

To the editor,

In regard to the March 4 editorial asking the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce not to duck the issue of hydrofracking:

Brewery Ommegang first asked to address the chamber board on this issue early in December, 2010. In response to our request to go before the entire board, the chamber said it requires this to move through the committee system. The chamber's Business Action Committee subsequently heard a presentation from both Ommegang and Gastem on Jan 24.

However, the Feb 27 Business Action Committee meeting, which was to further address the issue, was canceled with less than one day's notice and rescheduled for a month later. The reason given was that further perspectives from land owner's coalitions and environmentalists were not available. Otsego County environmental advocates as well as members of our business coalition of 200+ members have been and remain available.

This is urgent. Gastem is preparing to drill multiple new wells in Middlefield in the near future, and other companies may be right behind them. Once drilling begins it is much more complicated and expensive to address. From our perspective the Otsego County Chamber is wasting valuable time.  Whether it's deliberate or not makes no difference, as the drilling companies are moving ahead and they are not going to reschedule their drilling.

We too ask the Otsego County Chamber to get out in front on this issue, to address it openly and widely, and to do so sooner rather than later. We too encourage the Otsego County Chamber to acknowledge the timeliness of the issue and to move with a greater sense of urgency.
Thank you,
Larry Bennett
Brewery Ommegang