Who is the Park Foundation Protecting From Fracking?

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An article at pressconnects.com by two members of the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York looks at the Park Foundation's big-budget attempts to get fracking banned and expresses concern over the fact that the organization doesn't seem to care how many farmers and landowners lose out on the economic benefits of oil and gas drilling as long as the wealthy individuals who financially support the anti-fracking efforts of the foundation get what they want.

Here's an excerpt:


What has been missed in the debate about the Ithaca-based Park Foundation's advocacy against natural gas development is the object of their opposition. The true targets of the Park Foundation are the people in Marcellus Shale communities of upstate New York.
In March 2011, we met with Park Foundation leadership. We were on the hunt for foundations to support the important work of the Joint Landowners Coalition to identify best practices in natural gas development and arm landowners with the information they need to protect themselves and their land.
Upstaters saddle their own horses. A self-reliant people, we crisscrossed interstates and back roads through New York and Pennsylvania, learning everything we could about natural gas development. Once confident we could both protect the environment and develop the natural resource below our feet, we informed our membership, made our recommendations to the SGEIS, and set out to clear up a few myths and misstatements guided more by bumper-sticker slogans than research studies.
Our meeting with the Park Foundation was cordial, but we heard some things that stung like ice cold water poured down your back. We explained how we wanted to educate folks about environmental protections, water recycling, ways to reduce truck traffic and safe natural gas development practices. We explained how the ad valorem tax could save local schools and fund police. This discussion was a nonstarter.
Since that meeting, we've noted artificial opposition from time to time — for example, when Helen and David Slottje toured around the state encouraging towns to ban gas development. Every time we researched an opposition campaign, inevitably the trail back led to a Park Foundation grant.


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