Editors note: This was originally featured in the Broader View Weekly on September 5, 2012

The town board in Spencer, N.Y. has unanimously voted to stay out of the way of natural gas development.  This, however, has not deterred the local anti- natural gas cult.  They have since shown up after many weeks of collecting signatures of those opposed to natural gas development from Ithaca, Etna, and yes even Spencer, to tell the board that their voice is the majority.  They collected a whopping 300+ signatures from what I understand.

Image courtesy of townmapsusa.com

Disgusted by their antics and finger pointing at the board members, several of us decided to get signatures from those in support of natural gas devlopment in Spencer to include hydraulic fracturing.  We pursued residents and/or taxpayers 18 years of age or older in Spencer only.  In an unorganized campaign that was conducted over a mere 2 weeks, we collected about 500 signatures prior to the village meeting.  We’ve continued at a relaxed pace and are currently approaching 600.  People have been most eager to sign something in support of natural gas development.  In fact several of the antis actual resident petitioners have signed ours as well.  One said they signed their petition to “get rid of them”.  Another signed because they scared them, another because they didn’t realize that they were signing against something they supported.  The funniest one was “I signed because she was pretty good looking.”

Now they have moved their campaign against natural gas to the village.  A local hearing was held this past week.  The usual local hardcore anti-gas people attended regurgitating their talking points that have been so often debunked and dismissed as anything but credible.  They failed at any moratorium or ban at the town level so they are taking their fight to the village where its yet to be seen if they will succeed in “killing the drill”.   They always claim they want time to study or that there is no need to rush.  They can’t seem to come out and admit that they just want to kill it at all cost to others for whatever selfish reason they have.  One such selfish reason is that some newer residents to this area wish to “maintain the rural character” of the community as though this were some constitutional edict.  They have moved from urban areas to our small town to stake a claim on its character and ‘viewshed’ that others pay the taxes on.  We have lived here our entire lives and never operated under the assumption that the community should be stagnant.  It just never developed but the invitation, and the right to development was always in our minds until the influx of some from Planet Ithaca and like-minded from Planet elsewhere.

The story continue tomorrow @eidmarcellus.org.