Sandra Steingraber invites you to grab a pen and join a multitude of writers opposed to fracking in New York State. Between mid-January and mid-February 2013—a crucial, 30-day period in Albany—we will, all together, send thousands of letters to newspapers, elected officials, and public servants.
Everyone is welcome to enlist.

The back story: Between December 12 and January 11 more than 3,700 people participated in an on-line writing project called Thirty Days of Fracking Regs. Together we composed 25,000 unique comments that were delivered to the Department of Environmental Conservation on January 11.

The timeline: With the 30-day public comment period now closed, the DEC faces a February 27 deadline to finalize the regs. Should that deadline be missed, the regs expire, and the rule-making process starts over. But before the regs can be finalized, the environmental study that is to serve as their scientific rationale must itself be finalized. That study - the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement ("SGEIS") - must be released at least ten days in advance of the regulations, to wit: February 17. So that's our 30 Day window.

The scary part: A final SGEIS could be released any day, and nothing prevents the DEC from issuing fracking permits after that happens—even if the regs are not yet finalized. A mid-February release of the SGEIS would signal that the state is planning to push forward with fracking in New York.

The plan: Between now and February 17, the Next Thirty Days project intends to raise a cry of opposition so loud that such an outcome becomes a serious political liability.

How it works: Over the next 30 days, we each commit to writing at least ten letters. I will craft the writing assignments and provide you with some prompts, helpful links, and instructions on how and where to send your communiqués. I'll post these assignments on this website, one at a time, every few days, and send you email reminders directing you here. In the words of William Faulkner: never be afraid!

Thanks!