I cannot stand by and watch a corporation plow ahead without considering the
I spent almost every summer of my life on Seneca Lake. So did my mother, my grand parents and my great-grandparents. My daughter at age 28 still does, spending time in Rock Stream every summer. This lake is in my blood and the blood of my family. We were not landowners. My family was poor, and we camped out in my dad’s old Army Tent at Clute park. It was family time, where I could be with my parents without the busy-ness of work distracting them. It isn’t just my family, but generations of people who have come to Seneca’s waters to rejuvenate, to commune with nature and let Seneca Lake nurture them. Seneca Lake has a place for all of us, regardless of economic status, regardless of race or what political party you belong to.
There were 12 of us standing in the driveway of Inergy.
I am just one of those people. There are 49 people in this courtroom and many more out side the doors. And you must know there are more people in their homes, across the country who support us in our peaceful protest, and are equally troubled by Inergy’s presence on our beautiful lake. Stripping trees, drilling 24/7, lights blaring 24/7, wanting to store toxic LPG, butane and propane, brine ponds, have had spills themselves and yet are not held accountable.
And now, they have the audacity to want to expand and do MORE of this, regardless or the concerns of this community?
It is taking citizens like me (who lives a rather quiet life) to trespass to get the attention of our local, regional and national government to say that INGERGY IS NOT WELCOME. Your honor, if a company manufactures a toy that babies can choke on, it is recalled because of the potential harm it can do. Inergy has no control over the earth, and it is so near to our waters. It has the potential of mammoth destruction to the lake, the people, the aquatic life, not to mention the glorious history that Seneca Lake holds.
I trespassed because it was the only way to get heard. I’m glad you see my face, because I will continue peaceful resistance as long as I am able to, to save our beloved Seneca Lake and keep it from becoming the hub for the greed of Inergy and the gas industry. If you are not outraged, if all of the people in our area and across the land are not outraged, they are not paying attention.
My one wish is that of the Cherokee: “May we all walk in beauty”