The Marcellus Shale, which reaches beneath the southern tier of New York and into Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia is one of the largest fossil-fuel reserves in the Western Hemisphere and could yield as much as 20 times as our natural current output of natural gas. You might think that such a large energy reserve seems too good to be true, and perhaps it is. It gets its name from a town in Western New York where there the shale formation juts out above the ground. The region’s energy richness has been known for decades. But extracting the natural gas from the pores in the shale in a way that would be cost effective and efficient has always been a problem.

Hydraulic Fracturing (mostly shortened to hydrofracking) was determined to be an efficient way of extracting the methane gas from the shale. The process is not new, it has been used in the oil industry for more than 60 years. Only in the past several years, with the rising cost of fossil fuels, has it been determined by the energy industry that the Marcellus Shale is worth hydrofracking’s high cost.

Hydrofracking removes fossil fuels from shale by pumping a pressurized cocktail of toxic liquids, diesel fuel and water, into the shale to fracture the rock, which would in turn release the fossil fuel, in this case natural gas. These fractures are then maintained after the injection by introducing materials such as sand, ceramic, or other particulates, that prevent the fractures from closing when the fluid injection is stopped. The water, diesel, and other chemicals that is left over is stored in pools, sometimes unlined, above the surface until it is hauled away for treatment or disposal.

Some landowners in the Marcellus Shale area are experiencing a modern day gold rush. Energy-industry representatives are paying princely sums, rumored to be as high as eight figures in some cases, to obtain drilling rights beneath private property.

But environmentalists are warning that hydrofracking is not only bad for the region, it can cause a catastrophe in New York as great, if not greater, than the ongoing Gulf of Mexico oil spill. They’ve presented evidence that it can provoke earthquakes and above-ground explosions, and that it can pollute our groundwater and create dry beds out of our streams, ponds, and rivers, which are used to supply resources for the hydrofracking process.

In Pennsylvania, where hydrofracking has been taking place in the Marcellus Shale, wells have been ruined, tainted with salt, benzene, and other toxic and volatile chemicals. There is evidence that these compounds have also entered into nearby streams, not only affecting fish, but nearby farms that use this water for irrigation.

The problems with hydrofracking in have been outlined in the documentary Gasland, which is currently playing on the premium cable network HBO. The most famous segment of the film shows a resident near a hydrofracking well setting his methane-infused tap water on fire in his kitchen.

Environmentalists point to evidence from hydrofracking regions in Wyoming, Colorado of people and wildlife being made sick from the process. Diseases such as rare adrenal tumors and cancers are attributed to the extremely toxic compound “2-BE” that’s used in the process. There is no list of the chemicals used in hydrofracking, but clean-up sites left in the wake of the process have shown excess levels of toxins such as hydrochloric acid, benzene, toulene, and xylene (the last three toxins are commonly found in diesel fuel).

Why is the list of chemicals used in hydrofracking kept secret? Perhaps it had to do with a conflict of interest between the Bush Administration and the energy corporations, specifically Halliburton.

In 2005, the energy industry was exempted from clean water protections by the Bush Administration. As part of Vice President Dick Cheney’s infamous and secretive “Energy Task Force” in 2001, the captains of the energy industry and the administration touted hydrofracking as the future of fossil-fuel extraction, while redacting any evidence of human health hazards caused by the process. Halliburton, the company that pioneered and continues to develop and utilize hydrofracking, benefited greatly from the Bush Administration’s deference to the energy industry. Thus, the lack of clean water provisions in regard to energy development are known as the “Halliburton Loophole.”

Vice President Cheney, if you need be reminded, was the CEO of Halliburton prior to becoming Vice President. He continued to be paid millions a year in deferred compensation from his vested financial interests in the corporation while serving in the Bush Administration.

Where does New York stand on hydrofracking? Right now, industry-supported State laws are in effect to disencumber hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale and New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation has been busy stamping permits for drilling. But the DEC might be moving the process along too quickly: Instead of studying the environmental impacts of each individual well (which is typically needed under State law) the DEC has opted to hastily get through this process by only gauging the collective impact of the hydraulic fracturing process. Such generic evaluations are similar to the type of loose regulation used in deep water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. These evaluations can also be easily disputed by the legal departments of large energy interests. In effect, New York’s DEC has chosen to marginalize its impact as the lead regulatory agency and seems more than happy to perform a mediocre job of protecting our state’s environment.

But local governments are stepping up and taking action and there is particular concern in this region. While Rockland County is outside of the Marcellus shale, it is only a short 70 miles from its eastern boundary and our natural water systems are directly affected.

Rockland County may take action soon in calling on Governor Paterson to impose a moritorium on hydrofracking. The County Legislature’s Environmental committee has recently passed a resolution calling for this. County legislator Connie Coker, who chairs the committee is hopeful that this resolution will be passed by the full legislature after its referred to them in a meeting on July 6.

“This procedure presents many environmental, human and wildlife health concerns,” said Legislator Coker […] the prime sponsor of the resolution. “There is the potential to contaminate groundwater, the surrounding landscape and the quality of air. What happens to all that solid material that is no longer just innocent sand, but toxic waste? This resolution asks the Governor to impose a moratorium and to withdraw the flawed impact statement until the results of on-going studies are made available, studied and concluded. I believe it would be viewed as a responsible and prudent action on his part.”

Clarkstown Town Clerk, David Carlucci, who is running for State Senate in the 38th District, which includes Rockland County and parts of Orange County, is also calling for a moratorium, and says that in many respects hydrofracking is New York’s equivalent to the Gulf of Mexico’s deep water oil drilling process and must be treated with similar seriousness. A recent press release form his campaign makes some lucid points about further reviewing the hydrofracking process:

It is my belief that we do not know enough about either side of this issue to allow widespread hydro-fracking in the Marcellus Shale and the Utica Shale formations to begin. We need to thoroughly investigate and understand reports of ground water and nearby stream contamination as well as the health impact to local residents before we jump into this process, or we may end up with an environmental disaster on our hands. Such a disaster would make any economic gain offered by the gas companies seem small by comparison.

Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef, who is running against Carlucci for the open Senate seat, has worked as an environmental attorney in the past. Disappointingly, he has not issued a statement concerning the Marcellus Shale in either his capacity as the advocate for the county, nor as a possible future State Senator, which may have to make decisions about hydrofracking going forward.

There is bigger concern in New York City. It’s source of drinking water is in the Catskill watershed, some of it within the Marcellus Shale. New York is one of the few municipalities that gets its water untreated from its reserviors. Contamination of New York City’s water supply would be a man-made disaster of monumental proportions and affect the health of more than 8 million people.

Until we get some answers and perhaps some alternatives to the chemicals and processes used in hydrofracking, residents of Rockland and Orange Counties need to back resolutions to call for a moratorium of this process in New York State.

This article is based on a similar piece written for the Left of the Hudson blog.

It wasn’t unanimous, but very close to it. Carlucci was up 150-2 over his three rivals before tired Rockland Democratic Committee members pleaded that they would rather endorse the Clarkstown Town Clerk by acclamation. Candidate Grant Valentine received two votes. Lou Tharp and Tuxedo Town Supervisor Peter Dolan received no votes before the Committee switched to an acclamation vote.

To get the endorsement, a candidate needed 122 votes, just over half of the number of those in attendance plus known proxies being carried.

Although Carlucci won the endorsement of the committee by a decisive landslide, some political leaders in Ramapo are unhappy with the way the evening played out.

County Legislator Bill Darden and Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence led a very small group who sought to block the gathered Democrats from backing any one candidate. Their effort failed when a motion was made on the floor to force the vote to go through with large majority of those present backing it.

Ironically as this drama played out, Rep. Eliot Engel made a passionate speech from the floor, and one of its main themes was Democratic Unity. Engel’s speech received resounding applause, but I think the message was lost to some.

This effort by a small faction of Democrats to change the rules int the middle of the game was disappointing. And after their efforts failed, St. Lawrence and several Ramapo Committee members left the Convention as the votes were tallied. Many Ramapo Democrats, however, stayed to vote for Carlucci.

The Rockland’s convention fast on the heels of the Orange County Democrats’ and Rep. Nina Lowey’s resounding endorsements of Carlucci.

Valentine, Tharp, and Dolan all appear to be remaining in the race.

The next major event on the State Senate contender’s schedule is the Meet the Candidates night at the Nyack Public Library on June 7 at 7 pm.

Rep. Nita Lowey (l) and David Carlucci

In a press release sent by Carlucci’s campaign, Lowey is quoted:

David Carlucci has the experience to deliver for his district, and his attitude and abilities are just what the district and state needs[...]I look forward to working with David to protect taxpayers at every level of government, create jobs in our communities, strengthen our schools, and keep our families and streets safe and secure.

Lowey’s district includes parts of Rockland County and much of Clarkstown. the 38th State Senate district is also served by the 17th and 19th Congressional districts, with Democrats Eliot Engel and John Hall respectively representing these districts.

Lowey’s endorsement is the first major endorsement by a high-ranking elected Democratic official for the State Senate district. Nyack Mayor Richard Kavesh also endorsed Carlucci on the Left of the Hudson webcast on Memorial Day. Part of the village of Nyack is in the town of Clarkstown.

The other State Senate candidates include Ramapo resident Grant Valentine, Tuxedo Town Supervisor Peter Dolan, and Upper Nyack resident Lou Tharp.

With the State Budget being held hostage by the dysfunctional State legislature, Governor Paterson’s draconian recommendations have kicked in and, once again, New York families and communities are the loser.

But the Republicans might have an idea, it seems. On the eve of the park closings, in a mailing from State Senator Thomas Morahan, there is a push poll asking constituents if we should privatize our parks. Read on, I’m not making this up.

The mailer contains the “2010 Legislative Questionnaire.” This is a one-sided survey as it has very limited questions with an even more limited range of answers, that range from fiscally moderate to ultra-conservative. The possible range of responses pushes respondents to right-of-center conclusions. There’s no room for a progressive answer anywhere in the questionnaire.

More to the point, question #4 asks:

Which of the following aspects of government should be privatized? (check all that apply)

Highway and roadway maintenance
Corrections
Parks and Recreation
Health care
Transportation
Education

But beware, this isn’t a legitimate survey. It’s a politician playing craps with public opinion using a pair of loaded dice. This is an attempt by New York State Republicans to push through an agenda by attempting to change public perception.

This recent push poll is not unlike others. It is a underhanded political technique where Senator Morahan is trying to sway public sentiment and opinion by bringing certain issues to the forefront. There is very little science behind this polling process. And while a large number of people are contacted, little or no effort will be made to collect or analyze their responses. I know from experience that analyzing polls is very cost prohibitive and Senator Morahan’s office does not have the time, nor the resources to analyze the data. So this survey cannot possibly provide an accurate gauge of the pulse of the 38th State Senate district. It’s no wonder that push polling has been condemned by good-government groups and even the American Association of Political Consultants. And in New Hampshire, push polling is downright illegal.

Closing our public parks is just plain wrong. The Stony Point Battlefield is critically important to the economy of the Town of Stony Point as visitors to the site often spend money at the town’s shops during their visit. The Tallman Mountain pool is the only public pool in the entire town of Orangetown. They are now gone; they may never come back.

Worse than closing the parks is entertaining the cynical idea that they should now be privatized. And trying to push public opinion to this conclusion using taxpayer money is unethical to say the least.

There’s a sad irony to all of this: Mailings from our State legislature cost taxpayers $27.3 million per year and they are nothing more than incumbency insurance, or political campaigning paid for by our tax dollars. That amount is roughly the same as the $29 million that has been cut from our State Parks, resulting in today’s closings. So shouldn’t there be a question on Senator Morahan’s survey asking if we should do away with legislative mailings?

Kristia Cavere, from Tuxedo in Orange County, is the Tea Party and a Republican candidate for New York’s 19th Congressional District seat held by Hall. Cavere thinks that the Democrats have co-opted Republican values and claims, among other things, that:

“The Republicans are the ones who liberated Europe in World War II.”

She continued by saying that the Republicans have always initiated “every” advancement of freedom in our history.

“Unfortunately, today there are many Republicans in office who are cowards and who are bad communicators,” she said. “We have the right ideas, the right principles, the right philosophy and history on our side.”

Her comments appeared in the April 23 edition of the Record-Review, a newspaper that serves Pound Ridge and Bedford, NY. The newspaper has not printed an online version of the article.

Ms. Cavere is only 30, but that does not excuse her for having poor grasp of American history. The last thing I would ever want to do is to politicize something as significant as our victory in World War, or at least the European end of it, as she sees it.

Yes, this is the last argument I would ever want to have with anyone, but this is what it’s starting to boil down to: defending our values against lies by the far rightwing when they attempt to discredit and demonize the Democratic Party. There is no honor or logic to making such a partisan claim, no matter what party you’re affiliated with. I would be just as ashamed if someone said the Democrats won World War II because FDR and Truman were the presidents during the war—that’s just wrong!

Thousands of Democrats died in the Battle of the Bulge right next to the thousands of Republicans who also gave their young lives. This is true for all the battles. It was true in World War II, it was true in Vietnam, and it’s true today.

George McGovern was a World War II hero, having won the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and three oak leaf clusters during the war. I guess George McGovern’s heroism doesn’t count in Ms. Cavere’s world, as he’s one of the iconic faces of American liberalism today. To be fair, let me honor a great Republican who fought in World War II. John Paul Hammerscmidt also won the Distinguished Flying Cross and became a Republican Congressman from Arkansas.

No party holds claim to the heroism that Americans showed in that war. In fact, Ms. Cavere dishonors the memory of all those who lost their lives in World War II by cheapening the war as some sort of partisan victory rather than the desperate but noble cause that this country was united under

After trying to discredit those on the left but going way off target, Ms. Cavere then had the audacity to speak of American unity:

“We have to unify and become Americans together and not just identify with a political party,” she said. “America and principles must come before our party. There is common ground that can be found.”

Ms. Cavere, you have no right to talk about unity until you apologize to the families of all those who wore the uniform during WWII. Your comments were an attempt to cheapen the honorable military service hundreds of thousands of men and women who served who did not, or currently do not, share your political values. Shame on you, Ms. Cavere.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn) gets today’s Golden Fleece Award for using nearly $14,000 in taxpayer money to fund a November Tea Party event in Washington DC.

Bachmann and other political opportunists fired up a group of teabaggers by railing against high taxes and out of control government spending and all along, they intended for taxpayers to pick up the Tea Party tab.

Expense reports from the November’s Tea Party rally in DC show that congressional money funded the event, with the money going to sound and staging equipment. Money was supplied to Bachmann’s rally by the taxpayer-funded accounts of Rep. Todd Akin (R-Miss), Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga), and Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa).

But the leaders of the Tea Party movement feel just scant remorse for wasting our tax dollars on assisting a bunch of lunatics with their conspiracy theories about death panels and elusive birth certificates:

Learning that taxpayer funds were used did strike a note of discomfort with Twin Cities Tea Party co-founder Deanna Boss, who arranged for more than 100 Minnesotans to attend the rally. Boss said she would have preferred that private donors had financed the event, given her and other activists’ criticism of excessive government spending.

While no laws were broken, sunlight remains the greatest disinfectant when it comes to discretionary spending by our representatives in DC. This was not only a highly partisan event, it was an event with no redeeming values. It was staged only to demean the President, discount the Democratic Party, and to spread vitriol across the country.

And, as a person who’s not a member of the Tea Party movement, I’m demanding that Reps. Bachmann, Akin, Price, and King, pay back the taxpayers their $13,600.

Happy Tax Day!

Political insiders say that Levy was frustrated that he was blocked from running as a Democrat by party leaders who have all but anointed presumptive candidate Andrew Cuomo. It’s reported that Levy thinks that Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio is much easier to pick off.

Levy’s run on the Republican line has been orchestrated by none other than New York GOP Chair Ed Cox, who’s son Chris will likely get the party’s nod to challenge Democratic Congressman Tim Bishop in the 1st Congressional District, which includes much of Suffolk County. The elder Cox is using Levy’s candidacy to create regional coattails for his son, the grandson of disgraced former President Richard M. Nixon. In essence, Cox is using Levy’s power lust and his role as State GOP Chair to promote the career of a family member.

Some Republican leaders are calling for Cox to resign his chairmanship, claiming the backing of Levy is nothing more than a smoke screen for nepotistic machinations. Former Erie County GOP Chair Bob Davis gone as far as accusing Cox of undermining the party’s efforts to elect a real Republican governor in favor of his own self interest.

In an open letter to New York Republicans, Davis said Cox’s real agenda in giving the GOP nomination to a “liberal” Democrat was to boost the younger Cox’s chances of getting the GOP nomination and beating Bishop in the fall.

“If he wants to be his son’s campaign manager he should resign as Chairman and run his son’s campaign,” said Davis.

While this may be a bit messy for the Republicans, it leaves the Suffolk Democratic Party infrastructure in ruins. The popular, titular head of the county party now plays for the other team. Not only is the carpet pulled out from underneath Bishop, other significant reform candidates such as Regina Calcaterra, who is running for State Senate in the 1st District, can no longer depend on the crucial backing of the County Executive in her race.

Once again, these backroom deals remind me that just because politicians have big “D” following their names, it doesn’t make them loyal Democrats and many of political leaders have no problem selling out their party, hard-working Democratic committees, and alienating the party base for their own self interests. Past disloyalty by Levy is not much different than the unfaithfulness we’ve seen from Rockland County political leaders such as Alex Gromack, Christopher St. Lawrence, Ilan Schoenberger, Paul Piperato, and Charlotte Madigan in the past few years—politicians who seemingly cherish their own careers much more than they do Democratic Party core values. Party disloyalty on their part is not just poor judgment, it’s an ethical problem. And as Democrats, can we ever trust the fidelity of any of these politicians going forward? I doubt it.

Like Levy, these regional politicians have unwittingly aligned themselves with the sleazy right-wing political machine. They have been so consumed by their narcissism that they fail to realize the damage they have done—and likely continue to do—to Democratic slates.

Ten months ago, I wrote a diary on this site warning that this blurring of the lines between parties would eventually hurt other Democratic candidates. I said that the actions of Madigan, St. Lawrence, Gromack, et al. might seem harmless while the Democratic Party was enjoying a wave of popularity, but when the national sentiment changes, the Democratic Party would suffer because of a poor political infrastructure. Unfortunately, that time has quickly past and these politicians have continued to support and even mollycoddle the Republican opposition. Now we’re left with a significant Democratic leadership gap in Rockland County with Statewide and regional elections looming.

Last year was no time for our supposed Democratic leaders to abandon their party. I am calling on Rockland County Democratic Party Chairman Vincent Monte to formally censure the ongoing disloyal and harmful actions of St. Lawrence, Schoenberger, Madigan, Piperato, Gromack, and any other local politician who has given aid to the Republican Party over the past year.

This is no time for us to have a Democratic Party leadership crisis in Rockland like they’re now enduring in Suffolk.

Lewis became nationally known during his prominent role in the Selma to Montgomery marches, where he marched side-by-side with martyred Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Martin Luther King. During the first march, Lewis and other peaceful protesters were beaten mercilessly by the notoriously racist Alabama police. Lewis’s skull was fractured and his wounds are still visible today.

In 1986, Lewis was elected to Congress where he serves as a lion of civil liberties. He was the first member of Congress to call for the impeachment of George W. Bush and he is a staunch opponent to the Iraq War. Lewis has been one of the strongest proponents of health-care reform in Congress.

Just yesterday, Lewis made a short, but compelling statement that Congress must act now on healthcare reform. In his speech, Lewis said:

The time is always right to do what is right. And that time is now. The spirit of history is upon us. We must pass healthcare. There are those who have told us to wait. They have told us to be patient. We cannot wait, we cannot be patient.

The American people need health care, and they need it now. Will we stand with the American people? Or will we stand with the big insurance companies? We have a moral obligation to make health care a right and not a privilege. We cannot wait a moment longer. We must pass health care and we must pass it now.

Also honored at the dinner will be several local educators, NAACP mentors and the Haverstraw Town Board. More details to come soon.

But Monserrate, who also bolted the Democratic Party to caucus with State Senate Republicans in 2009 and later year voted against marriage equality, refuses to vacate the Senate chambers. A special election has been called for March 16 to fill his seat and the Queens Democratic Party has chosen to run State Assembly member Jose Peralta for 13th District. Peralta’s opponent is none other than Monserrate himself, who is now running as Independent.

But there is still another sick twist on this unbelievable story of insolence and preposterousness. Monserrate, in hopes that a perceived connection to President Obama will launch him back in the State Senate, is now using a modified version of the Obama “O” symbol and the “Yes We Can!/Si Se Puede!” slogan on his Web site.

As Democrats, it is imperative that we stop Hiram Monserrate in his attempt to attach himself to our President and the Democratic Party when he has worked against the party and its values in the past. It is even more important for voters to know that the Democratic Party and President Obama is in NO WAY backing an narcissistic domestic abuser for the New York State Senate.

Please do what you can to support Democrat Jose Peralta in his run for Monserrate’s seat. Canvass, phone bank, donate, whatever you have the resources for. Afterward, please consider visiting Reboot NY’s Web site. We are the group that began the Fire Monserrate campaign last year. Also consider becoming our fan on Facebook or or following us on Twitter. It is imperative that we get the word out to as many New Yorkers as possible that our State Senate needs to be fixed.

“I have been encouraged to look at it, and we are making calls to chairs and talking to them about it, and trying to gauge the support that might be there,” Vanderhoef confirmed to me by phone. “This is exploratory, getting a sense of what’s going on in the state.”

Vanderhoef, who fought a dirty campaign against Thom Kleiner to win a fifth term as County Executive just this past November, has told the Albany Times Union that he’s reached out to county party chairs upstate, despite some of them having endorsed Bruce Blakeman, who has been actively running for the Senate as a Republican. Billionaire Mort Zuckerman recently announced that he will not seek the Senate nomination. According to the Times Union, Vanderhoef is working with a well-connected GOP operative.

In addition to his interest in running for Comptroller and Senator, the former which he announced the only one day after he began his fifth term as Executive, Vanderhoef has run for Congress and Lieutenant Governor while at the helm of Rockland County. There have also been reports that Vanderhoef has sought the Presidency of Rockland Community College and an top position with Giuliani Partners while Executive.

While I am not against politicians seeking higher office, Vanderhoef has made it very clear that he does not care much for his job. His public job-search exploits have been a distraction and many people have begun to wonder whether Vanderhoef is paying enough attention to the County and its serious financial problems. Under his watch the County has consistently faced eight-digit shortfalls due to the Executive’s perennial revenue miscalculations. Vanderhoef has become Rockland County’s King Nero that fiddles as the County budget burns. While our taxes have risen, services have been cut, and County salaries have been frozen, Vanderhoef  had the nerve to ram through a 12.5 percent salary increase for himself in December. And just a few months into another four-year term, does Vanderhoef think he has accomplished what he was elected to do?

Right now, many people are wondering, and rightfully so, whether Governor David Paterson should resign his post. Beyond his ethical lapses, the question is whether Paterson can competently handle matters of the State of New York while being distracted with other serious issues. I believe the same criteria should apply to Vanderhoef; if the County Executive will become too busy running for higher office over the next eight months should he continue to serve the county? Rockland is in the midst of its greatest financial crisis in a generation and attending to our problems should trump political aspirations. I, for one, do not like the idea of unelected underlings of Vanderhoef’s taking the helm of the county while he abandon’s his post for a full-time statewide campaign.

I’m putting politics aside and my concerns for the Rockland first when I ask that the County Executive either drop the idea of running for the Senate or resign as County Executive. This is no time for an absentee leader.