ATTENTION: DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS RALLY DATE CHANGED TO 3/16 ALL OTHER DETAILS REMAIN THE SAME!
Infrastructure to support fracked gas is a growing reality for many communities around our country. While 100’s of grassroots organizations and 10’s of thousands of residents of New York state have been joining forces and fighting SO hard to stop fracking from happening in New York, oil and gas companies are working just as feverishly to get fracking approved in many states, including New York. These companies are also successfully getting permits to cut down our forests, crisscross OUR land, and build the infrastructure to move their gas via pipelines and through compressor and metering stations. They are also working tirelessly to keep us addicted to fossil fuels and in the process, poison our water and our air and create a bleak climate future. Don’t get us started on injection wells and storage pits, our friends in Ohio are dealing with this nightmare daily.
We have shared the story of the Minisink Compressor with you before. As a reminder, there is a little New 
York town about 1 1/2 hours from New York City, fighting with all it’s might to stop the construction of a “gas compressor station.” A compressor station is a facility which helps move natural gas from one location to another. Natural gas, while being transported through a gas pipeline, needs to be constantly pressurized in certain distance intervals of around 100 miles. The gas in compressor stations is normally pressurized by special turbines, motors and engines (which make a lot of noise and spew off a lot of emissions). A compressor station, also called a pumping station which compresses the natural gas (pumping up its pressure) thereby providing energy to move the gas through a pipeline.
If you live near NYC, consider joining ClimateMama and other organizations and individuals as we rally in solidarity with the families of Minisink. (Do stay tuned, and check in with the Minisink Compressor Facebook page or here for rally updates.) Below is a letter from the Baum Family who live next door to the Minisink Compressor Station. The Baum’s share with us how they are keeping their hopes alive that even as it is being constructed, that this compressor station will never become operational…We hope so too, and plan to work hard to support them and other Minisink families to make sure that their hope becomes reality!
Yours, Climate Mama
BAUM FAMILY LETTER
Dear friends and neighbors,
As this is being written, Millennium is working at a fevered pace to construct the compressor station across the street from my family’s home. Work begins before 6 AM most mornings and continues until well after 5 PM. This has been a grueling time for all of us, and to see the work continuing on a daily basis is disheartening, to say the least.
The biggest hope that our family holds right now is for the Washington DC court of appeals to see what we have known all along –that a compressor station does not belong in a rural residential area, ESPECIALLY when there is a safer and more effective alternative! We have a really strong case against the Federal Regulatory Review Commission (FERC) and two of the commissioners have gone out of their way more than once to side with us. According to our lawyer, this is unprecedented and gives us a better chance in court.
Compressor station, Dimock PA
Do we hate living here right now? You bet! Do we feel positive every day? Absolutely not! But, we do have a fighting chance and our lawyer is working untold hours to give us that chance.
You will have heard about the rally on Saturday by now. Maybe you wonder how much of a difference it can make if you show up. Maybe you are trying to avoid any mention of Jacobs Road and a compressor station because it depresses you too much, or you don’t think that you can make a difference. Here’s what I and my family want you to know:
We can’t give up on this fight quite yet…the game has not been fully played, the winner not yet determined. Saturday , FEBRUARY 16TH, will give us a chance to expose our fight to national media, and hopefully draw some much-needed attention our way. Hopefully it will also bring in funds, especially for our hard- working and dedicated lawyer! Plus, you and your kids might have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see and meet the Hulk in your town!
If nothing else, take this as a personal plea from the families who live with this 24/7. We would love to have your support and love during this ordeal and invite you to once again show that Minisink Matters!
Sincerely,
The Baum family
“What the frack” photo credit: Toban B. via photopin cc
Compressor Station photo credit: williamaveryhudson via photopin cc
