FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kate Mendenhall, Executive Director (585) 271-1979 ext. 501, Kate@nofany.org
June 15, 2012
NOFA-NY Objects to Governor Cuomo’s 5-County Hydrofracking Plan on Behalf of Organic Farmers, Businesses, Gardeners and Consumers in the Southern Tier
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) was shocked and disappointed to read yesterday about a potential plan advanced by the Cuomo administration to allow high volume horizontal hydrofracking in the Southern Tier of New York State, in Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Steuben and Tioga Counties. There are currently over 60 certified organic farms in these five counties. NOFA-NY counts 83 business/farm and 23 consumer members in these counties, and currently maintains the offices of its NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC organic certification arm in Binghamton. The incursion of high volume horizontal gas drilling into even a part of New York State threatens organic farms and businesses, in these counties and across the state, and simply must not be allowed.
As a matter of fairness, local businesses already established in a region of our state, and contributing to the economy of that region while making jobs and improving environmental quality, should not be sacrificed to out of state companies looking to establish incompatible and environmentally dangerous industries on, under and through the same land and communities. Organic farming is one of the fastest- growing parts of New York State agriculture, and the Southern Tier has the potential to grow more organic agriculture, if fracking is kept at bay.
Across the border in Pennsylvania, NOFA-NY’s sister organization, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, has just recently appealed to the government of Pennsylvania to place a moratorium on hydrofracking. Along with over 100 other agricultural organizations and businesses, we appealed last summer to the Department of Environmental Conservation to commission a qualified consultant study of the many impacts of proposed hydrofracking on agriculture, one of the mainstays of the upstate NY economy. Looking at the farms in Pennsylvania, we don’t want to experiment with a “fracking trial zone” in the Southern Tier to find out what the impacts may be.
Our consumer members from across the state also want to be certain that buying “grown in New York” means grown in pure water and air. The entire state and beyond depends on the pure food grown in New York State. NOFA-NY hopes that NY agriculture will keep the integrity of its brand by continuing to protect New York’s air, water and soil from environmental contamination risk. We also hope that New York will pay some heed to the value of its brand in agriculture and tourism, and move to enhance the viability of the sustainable, local businesses in those sectors, rather than buying into the questionable economics of the hit-and-run oil and gas mining sector.
For more information on NOFA-NY’s policy positions on hydrofracking visit:
http://www.nofany.org/policy-work/resolutions
NOFA-NY, Inc. is an organization of consumers, gardeners, and farmers working together to create a sustainable regional food system which is ecologically sound and economically viable. Through demonstration and educational opportunities, we promote land stewardship, organic food production, and local marketing. NOFA- NY brings consumers and farmers closer together to make high quality food available to all people.
