We Are Seneca Lake

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—August 26, 2015

Media Contact: Sandra Steingraber | 607.351.0719

photos: http://www.wearesenecalake.com/7th-generation/

video: http://tinyurl.com/ow7un6n

College Students and Great Grandmother Stand Up for Future Generations at Seneca Lake

13 Finger Lakes Residents, Including Students from 5 Colleges, Arrested in Civil Disobedience Blockade at Crestwood

Watkins Glen, NY – Led by college students and inspired by the Haudenosaunee directive to consider how our decisions will affect the next seven generations, 13 people, including a great grandmother from Yates County, blockaded the north entrance of Crestwood Midstream on Route 13 just after dawn this morning. They blocked two tanker trucks attempting to enter the facility.

The protesters held banners that said, “We Must Safeguard the Planet for Those Who Follow.”

Among the blockaders were two family pairs. Tamar Law, 20, a student at Cornell University, blockaded together with her sister Hannah Law,18, who attends Hampshire College. Liz Brown, 53 of Mecklenberg in Schuyler County stood with her son, Owen Senders, 23, a student at Harvard University.

Also joining the human chain was retired art teacher Donn Carroll, 65, from Ithaca, formerly employed at the Boynton Middle School.

Schuyler County deputies arrested the 13 at about 7:30 a.m. All were taken into custody, charged variously with trespassing and disorderly conduct, and released.

Today’s arrests bring the total number of arrests to 372 in the ten-month-old civil disobedience campaign.

None of the protesters this morning had been previously arrested as part of the We Are Seneca Lake movement, which opposes Crestwood’s plans for gas storage in lakeside salt caverns and which has been ongoing since October 2014.

Owen Senders, 23, of Mecklenburg in Schuyler County and a student at Harvard University, said, “Crestwood threatens us, Crestwood threatens those we love, and Crestwood threatens the lives of the kids we dream of one day raising in this region. Crestwood’s plan for massive gas storage comes in direct conflict with the vision of a better planet that we are fighting for. We are writing a different story for our species and our world, and this is the first chapter.”

Sheila Brown, 20, of Ithaca in Tompkins County and a student at Hampshire College, said, “Young people are taking a stand to protect the Finger Lakes Region. We millennials are facing a future of global uncertainty and chaos. We value clean water, air, land, and a thriving economy that works for all who reside here.”

Janie Meaney, 77, of Starkey in Yates County, a grandmother of ten and a great grandmother of three, said, “The dangers of gas storage in the leaky, old salt caverns in Watkins Glen are shrugged off by Crestwood. Children who live in Schuyler County are the basis for my decision to risk arrest to protest the debacle of endangering children and the ruin of Seneca Lake that provides drinking water for their families and neighbors. My children and grandchildren safely attended Watkins Glen schools, played and swam in Seneca Lake as did my grandchildren and as do my great grandchildren.”

Crestwood’s methane gas storage expansion project was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last October in the face of broad public opposition and unresolved questions about geological instabilities, fault lines, and possible salinization of Seneca Lake, which serves as a source of drinking water for 100,000 people.

Those arrested today were:

Zachary Birnbaum, 23, Geneva, Ontario County (student, Hobart and William Smith Colleges)

Elizabeth Brown, 53, Mecklenburg, Schuyler County

Sheila Brown, 20, Ithaca, Tompkins County (student, Hampshire College)

Donn Carroll, 64, Ithaca, Tompkins County (retired teacher, Boyton Middle School)

Georgia Decker, 22, New York City, New York County (alumna, Hobart and William Smith Colleges)

Aidan Hodges, 20, Ithaca, Tompkins County (student, Tompkins County Community College Farm-to-Table Program)

Tamar Law, 20, Ithaca, Tompkins County, (student, Cornell University)

Hannah Law, 18, Ithaca, Tompkins County (student, Hampshire College)

Janie Meaney, 78, Starkey, Yates County

Owen Senders, 23, Mecklenburg, Schuyler County (student, Harvard University)

Sam Schmidt, 20, Interlaken, Seneca County (student, Tompkins County Community College)

Rachel Shapiro, 57, Ithaca, Tompkins County

Ray Vanek-Johnson, 18, Ithaca, Tompkins County (student, Tompkins County Community College)

Read more about the protesters at: http://www.wearesenecalake.com/seneca-lake-defendes/.

Read more about widespread objections to Crestwood’s gas storage plans: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/nyregion/new-york-winemakers-fight-gas-storage-plan-near-seneca-lake.html?_r=0.

Read Gannett’s investigative report about the risks and dangers of LPG gas storage: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/watchdog/2015/06/26/seneca-gas-storage-debated/29272421/.

Background on the protests:

Protesters have been blocking the Crestwood gas storage facility gates since October 23^rd, 2014. On October 29, Crestwood called the police and the first 10 protesters were arrested. More information and pictures of the actions are available at www.WeAreSenecaLake.com.

The unified We Are Seneca Lake protests started on October 23rd because Friday, October 24th marked the day that major new construction on the gas storage facility was authorized to begin. The ongoing acts of civil disobedience come after the community pursued every possible avenue to stop the project and after being thwarted by an unacceptable process and denial of science. The protests are taking place at the gates of the Crestwood compressor station site on the shore of Seneca Lake, the largest of New York’s Finger Lakes.

The methane gas storage expansion project is advancing in the face of broad public opposition and unresolved questions about geological instabilities, fault lines, and possible salinization of the lake, which serves as a source of drinking water for 100,000 people. Crestwood has indicated that it intends to make Seneca Lake the gas storage and transportation hub for the northeast, as part of the gas industry’s planned  expansion of infrastructure across the region.

Note that the WE ARE SENECA LAKE protest is to stop the expansion of methane gas storage, a separate project from Crestwood’s proposed Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage project, which is on hold pending a Department of Environmental Conservation Issues Conference held on February 12^th, 2015.

As they have for a long time, the protesters are continuing to call on President Obama, U.S. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Governor Cuomo, and Congressman Reed to intervene on behalf of the community and halt the dangerous project. In spite of overwhelming opposition, and grave geological and public health concerns, Crestwood has federal approval to move forward with plans to store highly pressurized, explosive gas in abandoned salt caverns on the west side of Seneca Lake. While the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has temporarily halted plans to stockpile propane and butane (LPG) in nearby caverns—out of ongoing concerns for safety, health, and the environment—Crestwood is actively constructing infrastructure for the storage of two billion cubic feet of methane (natural gas), with the blessing of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

More background, including about the broad extent of the opposition from hundreds of wineries and more than a dozen local municipalities, is available on the We Are Seneca Lake website at http://www.wearesenecalake.com/.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—August 18, 2015

Media Contact: Sandra Steingraber | 607.351.0719

photos: http://www.wearesenecalake.com/beyond-350/

video: http://bit.ly/WASL350

Climate Change Protest at Crestwood Gas Storage Facility Leads to 19 Arrests

Rev. Lesley Adams of Schuyler County Leads Recitation of Pope Francis’ Encyclical on Climate Change as Number of Total Arrests in Ongoing Civil Disobedience Campaign Surpasses 350; Famed Chef and Moosewood Owner Tony Del Plato Among the Arrested

Watkins Glen, NY – In a peaceful act of civil disobedience against proposed gas storage that highlighted the climate crisis, 19 people formed a human chain shortly after sunrise this morning at the north entrance of Crestwood Midstream on Route 14. They blocked two tanker trucks attempting to enter the facility. Among the blockaders were Tony Del Plato, famed chef and co-owner of the Moosewood Restaurant, and the Reverend Lesley Adams, retired chaplain of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and current resident of Schuyler County.

Schuyler County deputies arrested the 19 shortly after 7 a.m. as they read aloud from Pope Francis’ recent encyclical letter on climate change, “On Care for Our Common Home.” All were taken into custody, charged with trespassing, and released.

To illustrate the contribution of natural gas to global warming, blockaders held banners that said “Methane = Climate Crisis” and “Climate Defenders Against Crestwood.” A seven-foot replica of the Encyclical was also part of the blockade.

Today’s arrests bring the total number of arrests to 359 in the ten-month-old civil disobedience campaign.

Their recitation from the Pontifical document continued the reading that began on June 30 and has continued throughout the summer.

None of the protesters this morning had been previously arrested as part of the We Are Seneca Lake movement, which opposes Crestwood’s plans for gas storage in lakeside salt caverns and which has been ongoing since October 2014.

Moosewood co-owner and chef, Tony Del Plato, 67, said, “Scientists tell us that 350 parts per million is the upper limit for carbon dioxide if we want a stable climate for food production. We have far surpassed 350. That’s an S.O.S. signal. Today, we surpassed 350 arrests at the gates of Crestwood. That’s an S.O.S. signal, too. Crestwood’s plans to store massive amounts of leaky methane here is a threat to water, food, climate, and life itself.”

Earlier this month, the 19 owners of Ithaca’s famed Moosewood Restaurant joined a coalition of over 340 Finger Lakes businesses and municipalities in opposition to Crestwood.

Reverend Lesley Adams, 57, now a resident of Hector, in Schuyler County, said, “In the Episcopal church, we often end our service with the words, ‘Send us into the world to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve.’ My work today is to resist Crestwood. I just don’t feel I can sit idly by while Crestwood fills unstable, unlined salt caverns under Seneca Lake with highly pressurized flammable material. If there are fiery explosions killing people or huge increases of salinity killing fish and plants, and I have not worked to prevent it, how will I be able to live with my conscience?”

Peter Arena, 50, of Interlaken in Seneca County said, “The plans of Crestwood Midstream to inject millions of cubic feet of pressurized, volatile gases beneath Seneca Lake are a direct threat to the well-being of myself and all that I love. I believe, as a man raised in the teachings of St. Francis, I have been entrusted to protect and steward this place where I am rooted. Standing here in the path of this industrialization and its consequent damages is my moral duty and obligation.”

Crestwood’s methane gas storage expansion project was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last October in the face of broad public opposition and unresolved questions about geological instabilities, fault lines, and possible salinization of Seneca Lake, which serves as a source of drinking water for 100,000 people.

Those arrested today were:

Elliott Adams, 68, Sharon Springs, Schoharie County

Lesley Adams, 57, Hector, Schuyler County

Peter Arena, 50, Interlaken, Seneca County

Sylvia Bailey, 66, Ithaca, Tompkins County

Melissa Chipman, 57, Hector, Schuyler County

Colleen Condon Coss, 60, Henrietta, Monroe County

Lynn Cronise, 57, Bloomfield, Ontario County

Kim Fraczek, 40, Brooklyn, Kings County

Lisa DeBoer, 46, Ithaca, Tompkins County

Tony Del Plato, 67, Covert, Seneca County

Karen Edelstein, 54, Lansing, Tompkins County

Bob Eklund, 63, Town of New Lisbon, Otsego County

Paul Flansburg, 47, Rochester, Monroe County

James-Henry Holland, II, 58, Geneva, Ontario County

Nancy Koschmann, 72, Dryden, Tompkins County

Pete Looker, 64, Glenville, Schenectady County

Daniel Micah Morrissey, 28, Albany, Albany County

Mariah Prentiss, 43, Ithaca, Tompkins County

Regi Teasley, 63, Ithaca, Tompkins County

Read more about the protesters at: http://www.wearesenecalake.com/seneca-lake-defendes/.

Read more about widespread objections to Crestwood’s gas storage plans: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/nyregion/new-york-winemakers-fight-gas-storage-plan-near-seneca-lake.html?_r=0.

Read Gannett’s investigative report about the risks and dangers of LPG gas storage: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/watchdog/2015/06/26/seneca-gas-storage-debated/29272421/.

Background on the protests:

Protesters have been blocking the Crestwood gas storage facility gates since  October 23^rd, 2014. On October 29, Crestwood called the police and the first 10 protesters were arrested. More information and pictures of the actions are available at www.WeAreSenecaLake.com.

The unified We Are Seneca Lake protests started on October 23rd because Friday, October 24th marked the day that major new construction on the gas storage facility was authorized to begin. The ongoing acts of civil disobedience come after the community pursued every possible avenue to stop the project and after being thwarted by an unacceptable process and denial of science. The protests are taking place at the gates of the Crestwood compressor station site on the shore of Seneca Lake, the largest of New York’s Finger Lakes.

The methane gas storage expansion project is advancing in the face of broad public opposition and unresolved questions about geological instabilities, fault lines, and possible salinization of the lake, which serves as a source of drinking water for 100,000 people. Crestwood has indicated that it intends to make Seneca Lake the gas storage and transportation hub for the northeast, as part of the gas industry’s planned expansion of infrastructure across the region.

Note that the WE ARE SENECA LAKE protest is to stop the expansion of methane gas storage, a separate project from Crestwood’s proposed Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage project, which is on hold pending a Department of Environmental Conservation Issues Conference held on February 12^th, 2015.

As they have for a long time, the protesters are continuing to call on President Obama, U.S. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Governor Cuomo, and Congressman Reed to intervene on behalf of the community and halt the dangerous project. In spite of overwhelming opposition, grave geological and public health concerns, Crestwood has federal approval to move forward with plans to store highly pressurized, explosive gas in abandoned salt caverns on the west side of Seneca Lake. While the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has temporarily halted plans to stockpile propane and butane (LPG) in nearby caverns—out of ongoing concerns for safety, health, and the environment—Crestwood is actively constructing infrastructure for the storage of two billion cubic feet of methane (natural gas), with the blessing of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

More background, including about the broad extent of the opposition from hundreds of wineries and more than a dozen local municipalities, is available on the We Are Seneca Lake website at http://www.wearesenecalake.com/press-kit/.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, July 14, 2015

media contact: Sandra Steingraber, 607.351.0719

photos: http://www.wearesenecalake.com/motion-to-dismiss/

Statement from We Are Seneca Lake Attorney Sujata S. Gibson, Esq. in Response to Today’s Reading Town Court Hearings on the Motion to Dismiss in the Interests of Justice

“Today, we argued two motions. The first was a motion to enforce the agreement that the Schuyler County District Attorney made to dismiss charges, in the interests of justice, for 84 Seneca Lake protesters. The second was to argue the underlying grounds for the motion to dismiss in the interests of justice.

“In New York, a pretrial agreement made by a District Attorney is an enforceable contract, and our very ability to administer justice depends on people’s ability to have faith that the People will honor their agreements. In this case, there was a clear offer, made on the record and in front of the Judge. The terms were clear. The District Attorney’s office promised that all defendants with violation level charges pending as of March 19, 2015 could have their case dismissed if they signed or read aloud the motion statement stating that though they could not make any promises for anyone else, and reserved the right to act as their own consciences dictated in the future, they did not have a present plan to break the law in future protests.

“During today’s oral arguments, everyone agreed the defendants had complied with their obligations under the agreement and that the only distinguishing factor between these defendants and those who were dismissed was administrative timing. Indeed, the Assistant District Attorney himself repeatedly said that if these defendants had been scheduled to appear on April 15th instead of April 30th, their cases would have been dismissed as planned.

The point of contention was whether the Earth Day arrest of 19 entirely different people, who are not party to this motion and who had never been arrested before, was a valid reason for the District Attorney to revoke the offer. The defendants attorneys stressed that to allow the cases of nineteen unrelated defendants to have any bearing on the case of the 84 before the court would be a gross miscarriage of the fundamental principles of justice.

“Moreover, the agreement of the People was explicitly not contingent on an end to all future arrests. All parties conceded that the agreement had been clear and that it had been explicitly discussed in front of the Judge in court that there was no expectation that the deal would stop all future arrests. In fact, all parties conceded, either directly or by failure to contest, that the discussion expressly contemplated that even some of those defendants making the motion might get rearrested. The District Attorney’s response had been that he still supported the motion to dismiss, but wouldn’t offer any individual defendants support on their motion if they got arrested again after making the individual motion a first time. Attorneys for the defense pointed out that to the extent that these uncontested factual allegations were contested, an evidentiary hearing would be required, and all of us attorneys would need to give sworn testimony.

“However, a favorable decision on the underlying motion to dismiss would negate the need for such a hearing. Mr. Tunney reminded the Judge that though the People had withdrawn their support, it was still within the Judge’s discretion to grant the motions. In fact, he went so far as to suggest it might be not only his right, but his responsibility to do so.

“Attorneys discussed the ten factors that Judges consider on these motions, and how analysis of each factor counsels for dismissal. We also pointed out that the Judge had already appeared to have made his decision on these motions when he granted the original 42 and then ratified that decision each time defendants moved afterwards under the motion language. We urged the Judge to follow his original decision with the remaining co-defendants and grant them their promised dismissals in the interest of justice.

“Judge Berry heard arguments from all attorneys and told us that we could expect a written decision within a few weeks.”

Background

Since October, 296 people from around the Finger Lakes have been arrested on various dates at the gates of Crestwood Midstream as part of peaceful protests against that company’s plans for gas storage in Seneca Lake salt caverns. Last March, Schuyler County District Attorney Joseph Fazzary said that he would not oppose a motion to dismiss “in the interests of justice” for 144 protesters whose cases had not yet been adjudicated. Over the next month, 60 people had their charged so dismissed by four different judges in four different town courts. On April 29, after additional demonstrations on Earth Day (April 22), involving all-new protesters, the DA rescinded his offer and, reversing course, said that he now opposes dismissal for the 84 remaining defendants whose court dates were still pending.

During the Reading Town Court hearing on July 14, three attorneys for the defendants, Sujata Gibson, Joseph Heath, and Gerald Kinchy, made oral arguments.

The full text of the motion for dismissal in the interests of justice:
We only have this planet. We must safeguard it for those who follow. Would that it not be necessary, but sometimes citizens of good conscience must engage in non-violent acts of civil disobedience to protect that sacred trust. As long as Crestwood Midstream Partners, or any other corporate or public or private entity, continues to threaten our way of life by the proven dangerous storage of highly compressed gas in the crumbling caverns at the Salt Point facility, I reserve the right to act as my conscience dictates in order to protect Seneca Lake, its citizens, and the surrounding environment. I reserve all rights to protest further at the Crestwood facility, although it is not my intent at this time to break the law in doing so.
The 84 defendants from ten different Seneca Lake counties:

Peggy Aker, 57, Trumansburg, Tompkins County
Alicia Alexander, 62, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Daryl Anderson, 61, Hector, Schuyler County
Danielle Angie, 36, Trumansburg, Tompkins County
Thomas Angie, 62, Aurora, Cayuga County
Barbara Barry, 78, Lansing, Tompkins County
Michael Black, 62, Lakemont, Yates County
Carol Bloomgarden, 50, Hector, Schuyler County
Leslie Brack, 47, Ithaca, Tompkins County
John Burger, 56, Dryden, Tompkins County
William Carini, 53, Newfield, Tompkins County
Neil Clifford, 44, Hector, Schuyler County
Alex Colket, 36, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Patricia Darcey-Walsh, 53, Conesus, Livingston County
Phillip Davis, 62, Hector, Schuyler County
Marie De Mott Grady, 29, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Jodi Dean, 52, Geneva, Ontario County
Marty Dodge, 72, Canandaigua, Ontario County
Josh Dolan, 37, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Alexandra Doniger, 26, Hector, Schuyler County
Marge Ehly, 64, Hector, Schuyler County
Elisa Evett, 69, Brooktondale, Tompkins County
Jessica Evett-Miller, 36, Brooktondale, Tompkins County
Paula Fitzsimmons, 57, Hector, Schuyler County
Daniel Flerlage, 63, Enfield, Tompkins County
Celeste Froehlich, 37, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Chrys Gardener, 53, Newfield, Tompkins County
Leah Grady Sayvetz, 25, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Mimi Gridley, 59, Glenora, Yates County
Cynthia Gorham-Crevelling, 67, Keuka Park, Yates County
Becca Harber, 64, Newfied, Tompkins County
Ellen Harrison, 66, Caroline, Tompkins County
Jennifer Johnson, 68, Corning, Steuben County
Sabrina Johnston, 48, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Sue Kinchy, 68, Brooktondale, Tompkins County
Dave Kunath, 37, Elmira Heights, Chemung County
Pamela Mackesey, 69, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Ilona Marmer, 68, Montour Falls, Schuyler County
Margaret McCasland, 68, Lansing, Tompkins County
Edith McCrea, 46, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Kevin McKinzey, 40, Trumansburg, Tompkins County
Nancy Medsker, 59, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Maryl Mendillo, Aurora, Cayuga County
Nancy Miller, 68, Dryden, Tompkins County
Andrew Moore, 38, Trumansburg, Tompkins County
Mariana Morse, 66, Caroline, Tompkins County
Rosie Newton, 27, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Edward Nizalowski, 67, Newark Valley, Tioga County
Daphne Nolder, Hector, Schuyler County
Jean Olivett, 68, Ithaca, Tompkins County
William Ouweleen, 40, Conensus, Livingston County
Barbara Pease, 68, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Judith Pierpont, 70, Dryden, Tompkins County
Terri Radke, 61, Corning, Steuben County
Warren Radke, 63, Lodi, Seneca County
Hope Rainbow, 24, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Anna Redmond, 30, Trumansburg, Tompkins County
Asa Redmond, 40, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Ian Remmers, 24, Hector, Schuyler County
Robert Rossi, 42, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Jane Russell, 64, Pulteney, Steuben County
David Sanchez, 26, Rochester, Monroe County
Sarah Schantz, 61, Odessa, Schuyler County
Sue Schwartz, 38, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Thomas Seaney, 65, Ithaa, Tompkins County
Charlotte Senders, 18, Trumansburg, Tompkins County
Gabriel Shapiro, 18, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Anne Sierigk, 57, Hector, Schuyler County
Jessie Smith, 24, Burdett, Schuyler County
Richard Stearns, 54, Trumansburg, Tompkins County
Martha Stettinius, 50, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Susan Thomas-Wolfanger, 48, Trumansburg, Tompkins County
Seth Thomas, 34, Lodi, Seneca County
Jess Thorpe, 31, Hector, Schuyler County
John Tornow, 69, Seneca, Ontario County
Lisa Trent, 41, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Peter Tringali, 62, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Julia Abernathy Uticone, 40, Cayutaville, Schuyler County
Irene Weiser, 56, Caroline, Tompkins County
Jens Wennberg, 79, Dryden, Tompkins County
John A. Wertis, 81, Trumansburg, Tompkins County
Kathleen Wilcox, 70, Ithaca, Tompkins County
Ahrayna Susan Zakos, 39, Ithaa, Tompkins County
Jan Zeseron, Ulysses, Tompkins County

Read more about the protesters at: http://www.wearesenecalake.com/seneca-lake-defendes/.
Read more about widespread objections to Crestwood’s gas storage plans: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/nyregion/new-york-winemakers-fight-gas-storage-plan-near-seneca-lake.html?_r=0.
Read Gannett’s investigative report about the risks and dangers of LPG gas storage: http://www.pressconnects.com/longform/news/local/watchdog/2015/06/26/seneca-gas-storage-debated/29272421/