By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer
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Gas-drilling opponents are planning a lakeside rally in Cooperstown on Wednesday before marching to the Otsego County Courthouse for a public comment session with the county board.
The session comes after more than 100 people, some bearing signs, petitions and leaflets, packed a July 7 county board meeting and spilled into the hallway.
"We had our board meeting in the first part of July, and there were so many people out front, I could not allow them enough time," County Board Chairman Sam Dubben said Monday.
This time the board will use the Otsego County Courthouse for the 6 p.m. hearing to accommodate a large crowd, Dubben said.
"There's no special reason other than I would like them to have a chance to voice their opinions," Dubben, R-Middlefield, said.
There will be no question-and-answer period or debate between board members and the public, Dubben said.
Adrian Kuzminski of Sustainable Otsego, one of several area groups opposed to drilling, said the session before the board is welcome news. He said he and other anti-drilling advocates have been asking for a public hearing for more than year.
"Judging by the 'No drill, no spill,' signs, there ought to be a good turnout," Kuzminski said.
The rally is slated for 4:30 p.m. at Lakefront Park. After the rally, participants are expected to march to the courthouse.
"It's a good way to apply political pressure," Kuzminski said.
No legislation directly dealing with gas drilling is pending before the board. A resolution supporting a statewide moratorium on hydraulic fracturing — a technique used to tap gas fields through horizontal drilling — did not make it out of committee earlier this summer, Dubben said.
The major decisions on gas drilling are not happening at the local level, he said.
"These forums will do nothing to stop anything or promote anything," Dubben said.
However, Kuzminksi disputed that and said state and federal governments have failed those who are concerned about hydraulic fracturing.
"I believe our first and last line of defense should be our local governments," Kuzminski said.
The board is considering seeking proposals for road preservation services that would allow towns and the county to determine the baseline conditions of area roads, Dubben said.
The firm hired would take core samples of roads to determine how much heavy traffic they can handle, he said.
"A lot of the towns have expressed interest in the county being the lead agency," Dubben said.
The scenario under consideration would involve the towns paying the county for the services, he said.
The natural gas industry makes frequent use of heavy trucks.
But Dubben said the knowledge gained by the survey could be useful in dealing with other uses of or issues with area roadways.
