2011 Finger Lakes Environment and Development Conference

Proactive Approaches to Mitigating Impacts of Marcellus Shale Development 

This 2-day conference will provide education, information resources, and practical knowledge regarding potential costs and benefits of shale gas development in NY, for the purpose of facilitating informed decision-making by individuals, non-profit organizations, municipalities, health professionals, planners and their counsel. Registration Fee includes meals, on campus parking and printed conference materials.

Register Now! Print a Registration Form and mail in with check.

Keynote Speaker
John H. Quigley, Principal of John H. Quigley LLC, Strategic Advisor to Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture), and former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

List of Additional Speakers
Ronald E. Bishop, Ph.D., C.H.O., Lecturer, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, SUNY College at Oneonta
Krys Cail, Chair of Northeast Organic Farming Assoc. of New York, Inc. Gas Drilling Policy Committee
Dan Carroll, Masters in Regional Planning Candidate (2012), University at Albany (SUNY)
Christopher Denton, J.D.
James Dunne, Ph.D.,  Director of Property Tax Research, NYS Department of Taxation and Finance
Sarah Eckel, Legislative & Policy Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment
George Frantz, Visiting Faculty in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University
Glenn David Fresch, Masters in Regional Planning Candidate (2011), University at Albany (SUNY)
Bernard Goldstein, M.D., Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at University of Pittsburgh
Stuart Gruskin, J.D., Gruskin Gordon; former Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Joe Heath, Esq., Onondaga Nation General Counsel
Timothy W. Kelsey, PhD, Professor of Agricultural Economics, The Pennsylvania State University
Darby Kiley, Planner, Tompkins County Planning Department
Beth Kinne, J.D., LL.M., Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Program, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Richard J. Lippes, Esq. of Richard J. Lippes & Associates, Buffalo, New York
John Lyons, J.D., Partner, Grant & Lyons, LLP
Erica Levine Powers, Esq. (J.D., LL.M. Taxation), Adjunct Faculty in Planning Law & Environmental Law at University at Albany
Meghan Thoreau, Planner, Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development Board
Lynn Thurston, Ph.D., Chair, Finger Lakes Regional Watershed Alliance
Rachel Treichler, J.D.
Adam Yagelski, Masters in Regional Planning Candidate (2012), University at Albany (SUNY)

Agenda (subject to change):

Thursday, July 21
HWS Scandling Center, Vandervort Room

7:50- 8:50 am Registration and continental breakfast

8:50-9:00 Welcome Address and Introductions
Lisa Cleckner, Ph.D., Director of Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Beth Kinne, J.D., LL.M., Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Program, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

9:00-10:00 Keynote Speaker
Shale Gas Environmental Issues: A Natural Resource Perspective

John H. Quigley, Principal of John H. Quigley LLC, Strategic Advisor to Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture), and former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Moderator: Beth Kinne

10:00-11:00 Session 1: Introduction to Hydraulic Fracturing and Regulatory Background
Hydrofracking in New York State: The Regulatory and Policy Big Picture
Stuart Gruskin, J.D., Gruskin Gordon; former Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Moderator: Mark Lichtenstein, Executive Director, SyracuseCoE Center for Sustainable Community Solutions

11:00-11:30 Break

11:30-12:30 Session 2: Economic Impacts of unconventional shale gas development
Oil and Gas Drilling and New York’s Real Property Tax Assessments
James Dunne, Ph.D. Director of Property Tax Research, NYS Department of Taxation and Finance
Economic Impacts of Marcellus Shale; Pennsylvania’s Experience
Timothy W. Kelsey, Ph.D., Professor of Agricultural Economics, The Pennsylvania State University
Moderator: Beth Kinne

12:30-1:30 Lunch with Self-Selected Focus Groups
Please sit at the table(s) labeled with the focus group you would like to join.

• Focus on public education
• Focus on municipal planning and decision-making
• Focus on regulatory framework and legal strategies
• Focus on interdisciplinary academic research
• Focus on health services and emergency planning
• Focus on landowner priorities and concerns
  Moderators: Finger Lakes Institute and EFC Student Interns

1:30-2:30

Session 3: Health Impacts of Hydrofracking
Shale Gas Industry Impacts on Water Quality: Incident Frequencies, Potential Pathways and Chemicals of Concern
Ronald E. Bishop, Ph.D., C.H.O., Lecturer, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, SUNY College at Oneonta
Potential Health Effects of Marcellus Shale Activities:  The Need for Public Health Surveillance
Bernard Goldstein, M.D., Interim Director, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities; Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health and Dean Emeritus, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
Moderator: Katrina Smith Korfmacher, Ph.D., Deputy Director, EHSC Community Outreach and Engagement Core; Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine University of Rochester Medical Center

2:30-3:00 Break

 3:00-4:00 Session 4: Shale Gas Development and Municipal/Regional Planning
Protecting Watersheds from Industrial Gas Development: What Municipalities in New York Can Do
Rachel Treichler, J.D
Local Strategies to Prohibit Fracking; a Legal Toolbox for Local Self Determination
John Lyons, Esq., Partner, Grant & Lyons, LLP
Moderator: Environmental Finance Center

4:00-5:00 Session 5: A Best Practices Approach to Managing Shale Gas Development
Erica Levine Powers, Esq. (J.D., LL.M. Taxation), Adjunct Professor, Planning Law and Environmental Law, Masters in Regional Planning (MRP) Program, Department of Geography and Planning, University at Albany (SUNY)
Adam Yagelski, Masters in Regional Planning Candidate (2012), University at Albany (SUNY)
Daniel Carroll, Masters in Regional Planning Candidate (2012), University at Albany (SUNY)
Glenn David Fresch, Masters in Regional Planning Candidate (2011), University at Albany (SUNY)
Moderator: Beth Kinne

5:00-6:00 Free time
Stop at Belhurst’s Stonecutter Tavern for a drink and networking
Van shuttle service from Medbery Parking Lot to Belhurst Castle

6:00-8:00 pm Dinner at Belhurst Castle with live folk music by Glass Half Full
Return van shuttle service to Medbery Parking Lot starting at 7:30 pm

Friday, July 22
HWS Scandling Center Vandervort Room/Library Geneva Room

All day: Finger Lakes Region Gas Lease Mapping Report
Sarah Eckel, Legislative & Policy Director at Citizens Campaign for the Environment

7:50-8:50 am  Registration and continental breakfast

 8:50-9:00 Welcome Address and Introductions
Lisa Cleckner, Ph.D., Director of Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Beth Kinne, J.D., LL.M., Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Program, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

9:00-10:00 Concurrent Sessions
Session 6A Negotiating the Financial and Surface Use Compnents of the Oil and Gas Lease
Chris Denton, J.D.
Moderator: Beth Kinne

Session 6B Regulation and Litigation Options Concerning Gas Drilling
Joe Heath, Esq., Onondaga Nation General Counsel
Richard Lippes, Esq. of Richard J. Lippes & Associates, Buffalo, New York
Moderator: Environmental Finance Center

10:00-10:30 Break

10:30-11:30 Concurrent Sessions
Session 7A Impacts of Marcellus Shale Development on Agriculture and Agricultural Lands
Panel
Chris Denton, J.D.
George Frantz, Visiting Faculty in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University
Krys Cail, Chair of Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Inc. Gas Drilling Policy Committee
Moderator: Environmental Finance Center

Session 7B Protecting Watershed and Municipal Interests
Panel
Meghan Thoreau, Planner, Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development Board
Darby Kiley, Planner, Tompkins County Planning Department
Lynn Thurston, Ph.D., Chair of Finger Lakes Regional Watershed Alliance
Moderator: Lisa Cleckner

11:30-12:30 pm BBQ Lunch at Scandling Center Patio/Cafe

12:30-1:30 Session 8: Development of a Tool Kit for Mitigating Effects of Marcellus Shale Development
The goal of the facilitated breakout sessions is to create an outline for the contents and focus of a tool kit that can be used to help communities understand how shale gas development fits with local and state energy portfolios, the potential impacts of shale gas development on communities, and potential mechanisms for mitigating those impacts at the local and regional levels.

• Group 1: Environmental Impacts (@ Vandervort Room)
• Group 2: Health Impacts (@ Scandling Café)
• Group 3: Social/Economic Impacts (@ Vandervort Room)
• Group 4: Infrastructure/Planning Impacts (@ Vandervort Lounge)

1:30-2:00 Break

2:00-3:00 Session 9: Summary of Breakout Session
Representatives from each working group report to group as a whole
Moderator: Mark Lichtenstein

3:00 Closing Remarks
Beth Kinne, J.D., LL.M., Environmental Studies Program, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Professional Credits

Conference coordinators are in the process of applying for approval for CLE credits for attorneys and CM credits for planners. Contact Sarah Meyer at smeyer@hws.edu to indicate interest and to obtain the status of credit availability and cost.

Registration Fees
Day 1 $100
Day 2 $75
Both Days $150
Student Rate: 50% discount (does not include housing)
Fee includes meals during conference, printed conference materials, and on-campus parking and shuttle transportation.
Registration closes Thursday, July 14, 2011

Overnight Accommodations
Limited campus housing is available to participants on the nights of Wednesday, July 20 and/ or Thursday, July 21 and can be added ($30 per person, per night) to your registration fee at check out.

Information Exchange
Participants are invited to bring copies of educational resources for sharing. Place them on the communal table at the entrance of the conference.

Registration closes on July 14, 2011

Register Now! Print a Registration Form and mail in with check.

Sponsors

University of Rochester Medical Center - Environmental Health Sciences Center