Letter to Commissioner Joe Martens

I decided not to write about either Syracuse's Slide or the American Indian health. There were many kids already writing about Syracuse's Slide and it was too difficult to find information on American Indian Health. I decided to write about hydrofracking. Currently, it is a big local issue in the Syracuse area. I found an article in The Post Standard about the negative effects of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the Finger Lakes. So I am writing a letter to New York State's Commissioner for Environmental Conservation voicing the concerns of the public.

Dear Commissioner Martens,

            My name is Shahidul Bhuiyan. I am a freshman mechanical engineering student at Syracuse University. I recently learned that New York State is proposing to use hydraulic fracturing to mine for natural gas in the Finger Lakes region. I am writing to you to voice the concerns that I, as a new resident of Central New York, along with my fellow community members have regarding hydrofracking.

Fracking protestors in Syracuse

            The introduction of hydrofracking poses many dangers for this region. The Finger Lakes provide clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands of homes. With hydrofracking operations running 24/7, high volumes of toxic, radioactive, and caustic liquid waste pose storage, treatment, and disposal problems. An accident can adversely disturb the environment and public health. Leading experts fear that conventional water treatment techniques currently applied in the Finger Lakes will not remove all harmful components found in fracking fluids. A study published in the National Academy of Science found that water wells near gas wells had 17 times higher methane levels than normal water.

What really upsets me is that although there has been dramatic developments in the hydrofracking process over the past few decades, New York State is still using rules and regulations from 1985. The proposed regulations for the Finger Lakes calls for the use of large open pits to store flowback fluid. This type of storage is very prone to spills which could devastate the water quality of the lakes. There are solutions already available with the closed-loop drilling which would significantly reduce the risk of water contamination yet New York State has not included it in its regulations. The proposal also allows the use of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals which are unnecessary. Substitutes such as gels, foams, or compressed gases such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide have the same effect but this is also not included in the proposals.

Hydrofracking will also have drastic consequences on the local environment. The Finger Lakes are home to a diverse habitat of fish and wildlife. To preserve this, community leaders and public officials have created the NYS Open Space Conservation Plan. Under this plan, community leaders and public officials have put nearly 13,000 acres of land under conservation. All of their work will be undermined because drilling will surely require the construction of thousands of gas wells and countless miles of road and pipelines.

New Yorkers should not have to sacrifice clean water and the environment for energy. I do admit that introducing hydrofracking would have its benefits such as job creation, lower energy prices, maybe even a boost to the local economy. However, with the current regulations and practices the consequences outweigh the benefits. Commissioner Martens, I trust that you will take our concerns into consideration and will make a sincere effort to revise the current regulations if not abandon the proposal completely.

Sincerely,

Shahidul Bhuiyan

Click here for more info on hydrofracking and here for letters to the Post Standard regarding concerns with hydrofracking

Letter to a Editor/Public Official Proposals

I have come up with a couple ideas for the letter to the editor/public official assignment:

The first is to write a letter to Nancy Cantor regarding the article, “Syracuse’s Slide”, from The Chronicle. I would tell her that I agree with a lot of what the article says. Although, she has good intentions in helping the city of Syracuse or providing more opportunities to minorities and disadvantaged students, she cannot do so by hurting the university. Over the past decade, Syracuse University has seen its prestige and national rankings drop significantly.(Syracuse's Ranking in 2011 by US News) The article also talks about how Cantor is using tuition money to fund different projects around the city of Syracuse and not enough toward improving academic programs on campus. I would tell her that the $50,000 I am paying each year should go toward enhancing my education and my future.


My second idea is to write a letter to the editor about American Indian health issues. I read an article from the Post Standard called, “Public Health Expert: American Indians cannot be ignored in discussions of ethnic health disparities.” The article says that American Indians are more prone to diseases such as diabetes, tuberculosis, and alcoholism due to inadequate health services. Since American Indians are less than two percent of the American population, their health issues are often ignored by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I don’t know too much about this topic so I will have to look into it and do some research. I may be able to somehow link this to the local Onondaga reservation.(Stats on American Indian Health)

My third idea is to write to New York State's Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, Joe Martens, regarding hydrofracking in Central New York. Hydrofracking is the mining of natural gas in shale around the Finger Lakes region. I want to bring to his attention that drilling can have adverse effects to the local community as well as the environment. The Finger Lakes are the major water source for central New Yorkers. If fracking fluids wound up in the lakes, it would be catastrophic for local citizens. I would talk about how fracking would disrupt the environment and local fish and animal habitats. I would also say how New York State is using outdated rules and regulations for drilling.

PLEASE COMMENT, ANY FEEDBACK WILL BE HELPFUL, THANKS!

"Courage is a verb, do it" ---Daniel Berrigan

What is courage? Many believe that it is the ability to act heroically in the face of adversity or take on a challenge without regard to consequences. This is not true. Courage is a complex set of behavioral characteristics arising from one’s moral beliefs and how they chose to live life. It is a quality that allows a person to act appropriately in the face of unexpected challenges. Courage is the strength of character that allows a person to face obstacles with careful responses and a commitment to succeed. It can also be the ability to face and accept defeat while coming out of the experience more knowledgeable and wiser. It is a combination of many human characteristics such as maturity, confidence, experience, and logic.

There are many examples of courageous behavior in our everyday  lives. Some are obvious. When the World Trade Centers were attacked on September 11, 2011, there were many courageous firefighter, policemen, and even pedestrians who put their lives on the line to save the people in the buildings. Another example of courage was demonstrated by Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta, the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. During an ambush on his company byTaliban forces in Afghanistan, Giunta charged into enemy fire to prevent another American soldier from being captured.

Other acts of courage are demonstrated in the form of commitment and standing up for one’s beliefs. In 1967, Muhammad Ali refused army conscription because of his religious beliefs. As a result, Ali’s reputation suffered greatly. His boxing license was suspended and he was stripped of his heavyweight title. He was arrested and went through numerous trials before the Supreme Court reversed his conviction in 1971. Through all of this, Ali demonstrated his courage by standing up for his beliefs.

Courage is demonstrated by everyone in every aspect of life. Some are more apparent than others. However, in the end the results are the same. People are admired for their ability to take on challenges in a respectable manner.

Gay Couple Denied Marriage License

Katie Carmichael and Deidre DiBiaggio

I recently read an article from the Post-Standard called "Same-sex couple threatens legal action against Cayuga County town whose clerk refused to issue marriage license". It is about two lesbian women, Katie Carmichael and Deidre DiBiaggio, threatening to sue the town of Ledyard in Cayuga County because the town clerk refused to issue them a marriage license. According to the new New York State law, Marriage Equality Act, passed in July of 2011, the couple are entitled to the license. However, the clerk, Rose Marie Belforti, refused to give it to them.The town attorney, Adam VanBuskirk, informed the town board that Belforti denied the license to the couple because of her Christian beliefs. Belforti gave the right to issue all marriage licenses to her deputy clerk, Susan Radcliffe. She told the couple to make an appointment with Radcliffe so she can process their license.

This is really ridiculous on Belforti's part. As a public official, she must treat everyone equally regardless of her personal beliefs. She must do what the law asks her to do. She cannot pick and choose which laws to enforce. If Belforti is claiming that she is denying the couple the license because of her religious beliefs, then why is she not also denying licenses for previously divorced people. According the Christian beliefs, this is a form of adultery. I am also surprised that the town board did not take any action against Belforti. She should be penalized in some way for denying a service entitled to the public by law.