WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – The Seneca 12 blocked the entrance to a natural gas storage facility in Reading on March 18.

The peaceful protesters were demonstrating against what they see as a plan by Inergy Midstream to turn salt caverns near Seneca Lake into a regional storage hub for fracked gases from Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Some of them appeared in court and paid fines, but Michael Dineen, Melissa Chipman and Sandra Steingraber opted for jail instead, getting 15-day sentences.

Released shortly after midnight Thursday, several days early for good behavior, Steingraber – an author, biologist and professor at Ithaca College – says she's opposed to the facility and its role in continued dependence on fossil fuels.

"There's a long, time-honored tradition within the sciences that scientists have to take moral responsibility for things," she says.

New York is currently awaiting a decision from the Cuomo administration on fracking, or horizontal fracturing of shale rock, to extract natural gas.

Meanwhile, three of the protesters are still awaiting trial.

Deborah Goldberg is managing attorney with EarthJustice, which is helping critics of fracking. She says Seneca Lake is a growing wine producing area and a prime tourist attraction.

"Folks there who love the Finger Lakes region,” she says, “and who have worked very hard to develop these sustainable businesses, really don't want new industrial development that would push the region into a completely different kind of economy, one that's not sustainable."

Steingraber says she was motivated by a broader concern for climate change exacerbated by non-renewable carbon-based fuels.

"Even though New York, happily, has a de facto moratorium on fracking,” she says, “if we allow for the storage and transportation of fracked gas, we are aiding and abetting industry that is continuing to entrench our dependency on fossil fuels."

Goldberg says Inergy Midstream is not forthcoming with the basis on which it claims the storage sites will be safe.

"We believe that there is no way this should proceed on the basis of safety concerns,” she says, “until the public has access to information that shows that it's going to really be safe.”





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Some state and local lawmakers are on a long list calling on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to require big oil companies to help offset the costs of damages caused by climate change.

More than 60 New York elected officials have signed a letter emphasizing the need to keep up with climate extremes through local projects to protect coastlines, restore wetlands, elevate or buy out threatened homes, improve water and sewer systems, retrofit public buildings and more.

Dominic Frongillo, co-founder and executive director of Elected Officials to Protect America and a former council member and deputy supervisor in Caroline, said the major question is who will pay for the projects?

"In Caroline, New York, we were hit by two 100-year storms in five years, causing millions of dollars in public infrastructure damage," Frongillo recounted. "Our taxpayers can't support that. We need the Climate Change Superfund Act to protect our communities and protect our taxpayers from the damages caused by 'Big Oil.'"

A study from the State Comptroller estimated from 2018 to 2028, more than half of New York's municipal spending outside of New York City was, or will be, related to the climate emergency.

The Climate Change Superfund Act passed the state Senate earlier this year and is supported by more than 240 environmental, faith, civic and labor groups.

In the decade from 2011 to 2021, New York was hit by 16 major climate-related disasters, for which FEMA allocated more than $17 billion in assistance.

Cate Rogers, a council member for the Town of East Hampton, said when funds to help communities hit by extreme weather run out, additional support will have to come from local and state governments, which she claims is unfair.

"The funding burden must fall directly on the polluting big oil companies that are responsible for the climate emergency, not our taxpayers," Rogers argued. "We cannot stand by and let 'Big Oil' continue to post record profits while we clean up their mess."

East Hampton just secured a $600,000 state grant for a plan to consider moving downtown Montauk if it becomes necessary. Rogers noted regardless of which government entity pays for the necessary expenses, it is still coming from taxpayers rather than the polluters.

As world leaders gather in Dubai for the international conference on climate change, the City of Long Beach is acting on multiple fronts to help the U.S. lower carbon emissions.

The city's Climate Action Plan looks to reduce pollution from shipping, trucking, and public transportation. Mayor Rex Richardson said the idea is to improve air quality and spur the green economy.

"We're on track to have 100% zero-emission cargo handling equipment by 2035," said Richardson. "We're investing in infrastructure for charging for clean trucks, and we're investing in subsidies to help small truckers transition to zero-emission vehicles."

Advocates are pressing the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt strict rules for heavy-duty vehicle emissions by early next year.

Meanwhile, Long Beach's Clean Trucks program is phasing out polluting diesel trucks and the city is now home to the state's first heavy-duty electric vehicle charging port.

Another project aims to let ships plug in right when they dock to avoid idling.

The federal government just announced plans to build a hydrogen hub in the city. And plans are in motion to start manufacturing offshore wind turbines at a special pier at the port.

Tonya Calhoun, PhD - director of community engagement at the Environmental Defense Fund - praised the mayor's West Side Promise program, which aims to improve the quality of life in lower-income neighborhoods where life expectancy is 14 years lower than in wealthier areas.

"These frontline communities experience firsthand the fundamental intersections between climate change and poverty and economic opportunity and human health and quality of life," said Calhoun. "And so the community came together and said we want to be more resilient and this is how we want it to be done. We want to be part of the solution."

The city is also working to reduce drilling and wean itself off oil revenue, improve energy efficiency in homes and buildings, electrify the city's vehicle fleet, replenish sand at the beaches to guard against sea level rise, and plant more shade trees so people can use less air conditioning and save energy.

Military veterans and lawmakers say investing in the clean-energy economy with Inflation Reduction Act funds is the way forward to combat climate change and bolster national security.

Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, attended the Elected Officials to Protect America's annual Climate Emergency and Energy Security Summit in Washington D.C. last week and said Illinois has a strong agricultural economy that is jeopardized by a number of environmental threats. Kifowit says she is honored to have participated in the summit where she was able to collaborate on strategies to address climate change and promote energy independence.

"What we are looking at here is reducing energy costs, good-paying jobs and small-business support. And in Illinois we are focusing on electric vehicles to make sure that we have the charging stations, the battery storage that we need and the partnership between the state and the functional federal government," she said.

Kifowit says in 2021, the state of Illinois passed the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles Act that strives to make Illinois a hub for electric vehicles and battery production. She says the state is also looking at what she calls "all types of renewable energy," including wind, solar and nuclear, to ensure a better tomorrow for future generations.

Alex Cornell du Houx, president and co-founder of Elected Officials to Protect America, is a also former Maine state representative and Marine combat veteran. He said people in the military realize that the climate crisis is what he considers a "threat multiplier," driving instability and increasing climate-fueled issues in the U.S. He said by leveraging IRA funds to invest in the clean-energy economy, he United States will be more self-reliant.

"We can get to 48% to 43% reduction in carbon pollution by 2030 with the Inflation Reduction Act as long as we implement it well. And the next 10% or so can be done through rulemaking, so ensuring clean-car standards and EPA standards. It's actually an extremely attainable goal that we can do this."

du Houx added it is vital to also make sure marginalized and disadvantaged communities, which are often disproportionately impacted by climate change, are informed about the federal investments available through the Justice40 Initiative.