March 18, 2024

Episode #391 – Finger Lakes Wine Region Update – Fracked Gas Continues to Fuel Frustration and Fear

We’ve been covering the very tense state of affairs in the Finger Lakes wine region of New York for a couple of years now. It’s an ongoing saga with the potential to have a very unhappy ending if the government doesn’t step in and address the concerns of winemakers, leaders of a wide variety of key industries and, of course, the citizens of Upstate New York.

gasfreesenecalogoThe drama revolves around a company from outside the state that has managed to get permission to store an unprecedented amount of liquid petroleum gas in abandoned salt caves beneath the incredibly beautiful Seneca Lake.

This kind of gas storage has an exceedingly bad track record when it comes to safety, and the threat to both the wine industry and residents of the area is very real to those who are determined to keep the region safe. On this week’s show you’ll get an update from two individuals who live and breathe the issue every single day.

First to join David by phone is one of the key leaders in the effort to stop the storage of fracked gas… Dr. Joseph Campbell. By no means an activist, Dr. Campbell, along with his partner, Yvonne Taylor, became involved in fighting to stop Crestwood Midstream of Houston from building an integrated gas storage and transport hub servicing the Northeast US on the shores of Seneca Lake. Dr. Campbell likes to say even though the out of state company says that the project is completely safe, “There is no right way to do the wrong thing.”

Dr. Campbell, now President of Gas Free Seneca Lake provides us with loads of information that will really open your eyes. Scott Osborn, co-owner of Fox Run Vineyards and President of the Finger Lakes Wine Business Coalition, follows him on the show. Scott is one of the most respected winemakers in the Finger Lakes and is the past President of the New York Wine Industry Association. Few people have the insight Scott does when it comes to assessing the danger the Crestwood project poses to the wine industry and the community at large.

Learn more about the issue here: http://gasfreeseneca.com/

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