You are on page 1of 3

VOLUME XXXVI No.

15 Narrowsburg, NY April 15 - 21, 2010

THE RIVER REPORTER CLIMATE CHALLENGE


Business carbon impact worksheet Household carbon impact worksheet

Sections
News
Editorial
Columns
Feature
Arts & Leisure Letters to the Editor
Outdoors EDITOR'S NOTE: The River Reporter welcomes letters on all subjects from
Sports its readers. They must be signed and include the correspondent's phone
Obituaries number. The correspondent's name and town will appear at the bottom of
Photo Gallery each letter; titles and affiliations will not, unless the correspondent is
Classifieds writing on behalf of a group.

Letters are printed at the discretion of the editor. It is requested they be


Directories limited to 300 words; correspondents may be asked to cut longer letters.
Government
Deadline is 1:00 p.m. on Monday.
Calendar
Links
Letters can be sent by e-mail to editor@riverreporter.com

TRR
About us
Supplements
Telling the whole story
Archives
Advertising To the editor:
Photo Reprints
Subscribe Something was missing from the front-page article, “An early spring,” which
Newsstands appeared in your April 8 issue. The article noted that: “According to the National
Contact us Weather Service, for the past week, temperatures in the area have been
reaching well into the 70s, and even into the 80s, more than 25 degrees above
average… ” What was missing was this sentence: “These record-breaking
Submission temperatures are a sign of climate change.” Such an explanation would have
provided the necessary context for the unusual weather.
Press release
Event
When the news media fail to mention that recent violent snowstorms, severe
Classified ad
rainfalls, wildfires and devastating hurricanes are all signs of climate change, that
omission fails to convey the larger picture to the public.
Amphibian
Amphibian While it is important not to confuse weather with climate, weather being
online conditions over a period of about two weeks and climate recording weather
statistics over long periods of time, studies of temperature trends over the past
25 years indicate that our planet is warming. Experts agree that this warming is
due to human activity, particularly our dependence on fossil fuel, that climate
change is happening faster than expected, and that we are rapidly approaching
the tipping point.

Our recent weather is an indication, unfortunately, that they are right.

Marcia Nehemiah
Lackawaxen, PA

Why all the fuss?


To the editor:
I am surprised that there is much of a discussion about the right of the Upper
Delaware Council (UDC) to commit on this or any other issue. It has the
responsibility to speak up about concerns. It may not, and in this case it appears
that they do not, take a position opposing drilling, but it expresses a concern
about possible impacts that it feels may be detrimental to the continued use of
the river for living, recreational and aesthetic use.

This would probably be the first large committee to ever agree to anything
unanimously if it could do so; but even a letter stating some concerns does not
preclude member communities from also sending in letters supporting different
viewpoints, or ones stating concerns about the matter in a way not supported by
the entire group. Representative members should vote on issues based on their
directive from their communities. Each individual community can decide whether
to have the representatives vote on their own or at the town boards’ specific
directions.

Neal Halloran
Cochecton, NY

What wasn’t said


To the editor:

In the excellent River Reporter April 8 feature “UDC walking a tightrope on gas
issues,” you reported that Marian Schweighofer made several comments.
However you failed to report her most intimidating and provocative statement—
which was that “UDC must not vote their hearts.”

Schweighofer and the Northern Wayne Property Owners’ Association (NWPOA)


seem to have an aversion to any who ask questions, or do studies or make
comments related to gas drilling. They say they want gas companies to be able
to drill now, to drill even in sensitive watershed areas like the river corridor, and
to do so exempt from all Federal laws. This activity will inject toxic chemicals and
biocides into the ground and bring up heavy metals, salts and radiation from
below. It will use billions of gallons of pure water for free, and create billions of
gallons of highly toxic wastewater that cannot be treated. It will cause spills and
accidents, but Hess and its corporate partners will have to investigate and
inspect themselves—because the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) has cut its staff and budget this year alone by 30 percent.

And if you do ask any questions about any of this, you are called an
obstructionist, unpatriotic, Socialist and extremist.

What Schweighofer and the NWPOA don’t say is that Pennsylvania’s


Constitution states that people have a right to clean air, pure water, and the
preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values in the
environment. Natural resources are the common property of all the people,
including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the
Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the
people.

Industry says that gas is the “bridge to the future.” However, gas is a bridge to
nowhere—just another fossil fuel. Yet, we all know “in our heart” that water is our
bridge to the future.

Pat Carullo, Co-founder, Damascus Citizens


Damascus, PA

You don’t miss it ‘til it’s gone


To the editor:

According to the National Institute of Health, more people worldwide die each
year from a lack of clean, drinkable water, than any other cause.

Here in Wayne County, we are blessed with an abundance of pure, sweet


drinking water. It has been said many times: You do not miss something until it is
gone.”

Why then are we in such a hurry to dump toxic chemicals deep into our soil,
above, below and next to our water supply?

Please, someone tell me: how will we keep these poisons from leaching into our
aquifers?

Ray Schillmoeller
Damascus, PA

Gas drilling needed to generate an income


To the editor:

This is a letter to all of you “flat land transplants” who have moved to our area.
You people already have yours. Local people need something to generate an
income. Gas drilling could be a great benefit. After all, the Obama administration
has forgotten about jobs in this country. It is more interested in creating more
entitlements for people who do not work and government jobs to increase their
voting base. The only thing the administration is good for is creating propaganda.

I may have it wrong but it seems to me The River Reporter only has left-leaning
writers. I bet they are all “flat landers” and they had some sort of government or
Wall Street job. The government is bankrupting our country with entitlements for
the people who do not work and by paying sweetheart retirement deals to
government workers.

I am sure you left-leaning writers at The River Reporter (especially Mendler) are
on the government dole in some way. You should know by now that the majority
of people that live in our area are hardworking people and do not agree with your
Pelosi agenda. People in our area work for a living. Your agenda has little
support here.

I understand that there is a Tea Party meeting at the park in Honesdale, PA on


April 15. Does Mr. Mendler have the courage to attend?

John Creech
Hancock, NY

(For the record, The River Reporter is a independently owned small business
and its 12 employees are hard-working members of the community who hold a
diverse set of opinions.

For an account by Skip Mendler of his attendance at a Tea Party meeting the
day before Election Day last year, visit riverreporter.com/issues/09-11-12/columns-
peace.html )

Problems? Comments? Contact the Webmaster.


Entire contents © 2010 by the author(s) and Stuart Communications, Inc.

You might also like