Document Archive

What wetlands ???

THINK ABOUT IT !!

Shott is going to dump 136,000 gallons of his used water a day into the Beaverkill. A regular 32x16 ft pool (8 ft at the deep end) contains about 18,000 gallons of water. Shot is going to empty 7.5 of these pools a day into the Beaverkill. Assume a regular 7-8 hour workday then Every workday of the week... Every hour 1 (one) inground swimming pool of used Shott water is introduced into the Beaverkill!! 100,000 tons of material per year equals 75,000 cubic yards equals 5000 tandem dump trucks. Seeing as usually two months per year are idle (due to frozen ground; January and February) that comes out to 500 dump trucks per month. However, seeing as each trip out is accompanied by a return trip, double the numbers: 1000 trips per month; divided by 24 work days per month and you get just over 40 trips per day, six days per week, for twenty-eight years! Just remember: There are absolutely NO limits to quantity removed Once given the go ahead, it could double or triple whatever! Typically, the DEC allows the operation to correct any / all violations. Fines are rarely levied against company under the ridiculous premise that as long as the miner agrees to correct problem (even if this problem is perpetually on-going) then said miner is acting in good faith. Mufflers being replaced is about the extent of enforcement action taken by the DEC. Also, if the miner strays from the Phase Plan, they are forced to remediate any area disturbed and then allowed to continue. Dust and debris on roadways, noise, diesel fumes, truck traffic, are basically unenforceable as the Mined Land Reclamation specialists typically refer you to your town officials who say it's the DEC's business. Yes, CATCH-22. Even mitigation features (such as stock piles, berms, hours of operation etc) are routinely altered in favor of the miner. In a reported case, stockpiles around the screening unit (which did, in fact buffer noise) were removed at the simple request of miner. The hours of operation (as well as holidays worked) were increased at the simple request of the miner. The 25-foot berm meant to be the major mitigation feature (after four attempts!!!!) was still more than five feet shy of what had been mandated; the duration of project actually operated with berm at only 12 or so feet in height. If the mine goes in, there is only hell to pay by all surrounding property owners as well as those along the routes. The DEC is abysmal in their responsibility to follow Special Use Permits mandates regarding no negative impacts on the neighborhood; DEC seems to feel they're exempt. Their favorite line (vis-a-viscomplaints about the outrageous noise generated by processing units and heavy trucks) is to call it "operational noise" as if that somehow makes all the horror go away! Unfortunately, once the mine goes in, pretty much the ONLY recourse is to sue the miner, the DEC and the town. Expensive! Time consuming! Quality of Life is diminished to none!

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

I 'll show you mine!
Take a look at the toys Gilbert Shott plays with and wants to bring to our neighborhood.

The Saugerties Comprehensive Plan

Ulster County parcel viewer

Committee on Open Government

Google.com A scientific search engine, no commercials, used by scientists for research

DOT .NY state The NY State Department of Transportation, Traffic is a good starter selection

DEC. NY state The NY Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). SEQR, Mining, Water, etc selections available

Safety_Facts/Diesel.
Fact Sheet on Diesel Exhaust

New Paltz in raceway pickle with "special use permit" allowing a race way in a residential area

A very similar zoning case in Sardinia, NY

LINK to D.E.C.info on assessing and mitigating noise impacts (pdf file)

Kingston Planning board rejects public hearing. How a Shott project could steamroll in the future.

Forests as moneymakers?

Download Adobe Acrobat to read .pdf files here