Forum scheduled: Seneca Lake at a Crossroads

On April 14, an exciting lineup of presenters will come to Schuyler County to discuss various implications of the proposed Inergy brine pits and LPG facility on the west side of Seneca Lake. With the potential to impact all aspects of life in the region – property values, water quality, air quality, light and noise pollution, health, roads and infrastructure, property taxes, tourism, wineries, farming and food security, emergency services, employment, and overall quality of life – this is a topic on which everyone should be as well educated as possible.Citizens have been forced to educate themselves rapidly on the Inergy situation, as there was little advance warning from the corporation about its plans to transform the bucolic Finger Lakes region into an industrial hub. Some local residents have formed Gas Free Seneca (www.gasfreeseneca.com), which is hosting the first independent (non-industry-run) public forum on Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the Watkins Glen High School auditorium.Speakers who have committed to present are Mr. Jack Ossont, Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes; Dr. John Halfman, Professor of Geoscience and Environmental Studies, Hobart and William Smith College; Thomas Shelley, Chemical Hygiene Officer, Cornell University Environmental Health and Safety (retired); Karen Edelstein, Geographic Information Systems Consultant; and Dr. Robert Howarth, Professor of Ecology and Environmental Biology, Cornell University. Other speakers will be announced as they are confirmed.A question-and-answer session will follow.The event will be videotaped and live-streamed via Shaleshock Media. Organizers will be available for media interviews before the event. We hope to draw 200+ people to the event, including legislators and county Executives from Schuyler County and Watkins Glen, the Town of Reading and surrounding communities.Where: Watkins Glen High School, 301 12th St., Watkins Glen, NY When: Thursday, April 14, 2011, 7:00-9:00 p.m.