As much as I’d like to hoist a glass of eggnog right now, I urge you to please place a Christmas gift under the hemlock tree of your favorite trout steam by writing Governor Patterson one last time and urge him to withdraw the draft environmental impact statement on gas drilling in the Catskills.

I assume many of you have read about the NY DEP’s decision, issued yesterday, against the environmental impact statement. This is a major victory against the drill-at-all-costs mentality of the DEC, but the final decision rests with the Gov.

The N.Y. Times (plus many other media) covered this story. Here’s a key quote:

“Twenty percent to 50 percent of the chemicals used in extraction ends up in the wastewater, for which the state has no disposal method, said Paul Rush, the department’s deputy commissioner, who presented the report at the briefing…

…Mr. Rush said the environmental engineers and scientists hired by the department collected data from hydraulic fracturing in other states to draw their conclusions.

“We took a technical look at this and made a decision based on the science,” he said.

Citing data from drilling in Fayetteville, Ark., the scientists estimated that drilling in the New York watershed could result in hundreds of tons of chemicals per day seeping through the watershed over a 20-year period.

Substantial industrial development would be needed to dig and maintain the 3,000 to 6,000 wells in the watershed, the report said. Maintenance alone could result in up to 600,000 trips by truck per year within the watershed’s boundaries, it said.”

Here’s the full link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/sc...rilling&st=cse

Momentum has clearly shifted on this issue, but it’s up to you and me to push it over the goal line.

Here is a link on how you can write the Governor:

A MAJOR DEVELOPMENT STRENGTHENS OUR CAUSE TO PREVENT GAS DRILLING | Catskill Mountainkeeper

One last thought: Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas Day (how appropriate!) and defeated the much better-organized and well-funded Hessians/British with a rag-tag army… Let’s be that rag-tag army – clad in waders and fishing vests…

Here’s to clean, trout-filled streams in 2010…