The Journal's regular coverage seems not to have noticed it, but David Fogel, Chair of the Village of Freeville Planning Board, writes the Ithaca Journal to say that passing the moratorium was the right thing to do, and tells a bit about it:
At its regular monthly meeting on Dec. 6, the Village of Freeville Board of Trustees held a public hearing on a proposed local law that would enact a moratorium on natural-gas drilling in the village for a period of 180 days, "to begin at the expiration of New York state's moratorium on said drilling."...
All but one of the 13 Freeville-area residents who attended the hearing spoke in favor of the resolution, which was adopted by the board in a unanimous vote. The trustees further resolved to host a drilling-related informational forum if and when the local law is triggered by the expiration of the statewide moratorium.
I'm a little nervous about the language, because I'm not sure that New York State has a legal, as opposed to de facto, moratorium. Hopefully that will be all right.
Also, it's worth pointing out again, as Fogel does, that the ban passed by the Town of Dryden in August does not apply to either the Village of Freeville or the Village of Dryden. It operates through zoning, and the villages both have their own zoning. According to the Marcellus Accountability Project map, a sizable chunk of land in the Village of Freeville is leased, as well as several parcels in the Village of Dryden.
Posted by simon at December 10, 2011 7:11 AM in Freeville , Ithaca Journal , energy