COOPERSTOWN _ More than 100 people opposed to widespread gas drilling came to voice their views at Wednesday's Otsego County Board of Representatives meeting.
Bearing signs, petitions and leaflets, a few people gathered outside the county office building in Cooperstown shortly after 9 a.m. As the crowd grew in the next half-hour, a line formed in front of the building and many entered, making their way to the board room on the second floor.
They quickly filled the seats in back and stood along the walls until Capt. Anthony Bona of court security said the room was loaded beyond capacity. Bona escorted some late arrivals out and called for additional security from the Otsego County Sheriff's Department.
At about 10 a.m., board Chairman Sam Dubben, R-Middlefield, asked the crowd to be respectful and allowed people to speak one at a time, under privilege of the floor.
First to speak was Dr. Douglas DeLong of Roseboom, who said, "I support anyone's right to do what they want with their land, but not with my land."
If widespread horizontal gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing come to this area, the damage will spread well beyond individual properties, he said, advising people to read the current issue of Scientific American to understand what is at stake.
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Retired geologist and Oneonta Environmental Board member David Hutchison said, "One hundred years from now, we're not going to be here, the gas companies will not be here."
But the legacy of the pending gas rush will likely be here for future generations to clean up, he said.
"We need to do everything we can to establish an escrow fund," said Hutchison, who called the pending gas boom "a false economy" because most of the money made during the drilling phase will go to gas companies.
Andrew Minnig of Cherry Valley said his first concern was that only some of the people who'd come to speak were allowed into the room, while others could be heard clapping in an adjacent corridor and still others remained outside.
Later in the meeting, Dubben announced that all will be allowed to speak at a public forum on gas drilling starting at 6 p.m. July 21 at the Cooperstown county courthouse.
Barbara Monroe of Milford said she's been to Pennsylvania, where drillers have been active, and witnessed heavy traffic and slurries.
"There is no containing this once it starts," she said.
Kenneth Fogarty said he's listened to people who are for and against gas drilling.
After watching the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, he's come to the conclusion that "unless we are on top of these corporations, they will do everthing on the cheap. It's naive to believe they will come in here with good will. They're here to make money."
Martha Duke of Westville said the heavy truck traffic will compromise people's quality of life and widespread gas drilling will depress property values.
One speaker, former Oneonta town Councilwoman Marie Lusins McLachlan, said she is an organic farmer who supports gas drilling.
"I support safe gas drilling," she said, noting that as long as people continue to consume energy, it must come from somewhere.
Although the buzz word among the people who oppose gas drilling is moratorium, "their real purpose is banning all drilling," she said.
Russell Honicker said he warned board members two years ago about the coming gas rush and they had failed to act. Noelle DaSilva asked the board to support a moratorium on drilling until it can be shown to be safe, and Carol Ralbag of Butternuts said she will walk door-to-door in the next election cycle to help vote representatives out of office if they don't respond to constituents' worries about the industry.
The next election for county representatives is 2011.
