OntheWilderSide

Here in Long Island, there have been LNG projects proposed for Eastern Suffolk/The Long Island Sound and for Nassau County/Long Beach area. The Eastern Suffolk project, called Broadwater, had a recent setback in court. In Nassau County, environmentalists and activists are still having to get the message out to the public (and for the Environmental Impact Statement/EIS) that a liquefied natural gas project off the coast is dangerous and not worth it. In Nassau, some have dubbed the project “Insanity Island.” A hearing was held in Rockaway, to give the public final input into the EIS. Also, please sign the anti-LNG petition: here.

Are you fighting an LNG project in your area? Here is an overview of some of the many ways to address the folly and injustice of a floating, liquefied natural gas facility in your area. (Also, think about applying some or all of these strategies to any issue you are faced with – overdevelopment, discrimination, war…)

50 Ways To Leave A Bad Energy Project: Spectacular LNG Videos

Public education. Do great and detailed public education. This is a video clip of a documentary film which gives multiple arguments for not building new, big LNG’s:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0U9q1yFGk]

Reveal and dramatize the dangers. Explosive video. Show the danger. Make the consequences real for people. Show them what can happen when things go wrong. The video has received over a million hits on youtube so far. Pretty good communication tool.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcmmLvAYqkI]

Visioning the better way. When society and/or industry is going down a wrong path, do the work to find a more viable path. Then study how to implement, and encourage the public to see the better way. “Another world is possible” strategy. This is an excellent and highly watched video from Green Peace, called “What are we waiting for?” It is about smaller energy projects.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klooRS-Jjyo]

Take the battle on the ground. Put your body in the way of the machine. This is a video about how protestors in Trebanos fought an LNG pipeline proposed for the Welsh countryside. (It is from 2006. I don’t know if they won or not.)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdg6XM7fBvM]

Art and/or ritual. Create joyful space for people to engage and participate. Use art–music, drama, poetry, posters, improv–to help your message resonate, make it memorable, and engage people. This is video from PeaceSmiths, Inc. commmunity organization for peace and justice issues.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6D9SNcEiRY]

Demonstrate with creativity in your community. Similar to the above approach, though taken to a different level of outreach and education. Create a public demonstration that is symbolic and concrete, visual and deep. These folks did a bike tour of where a potential pipeline would go.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWQkrCtKxqE]

Lobby the government. Don’t forget the traditional venues of battle–the government who often approves, or can block a project. Not everyone will want to attend a plain old meeting. And, they are usually held during working hours. But, someone among your group could probably take the time to address local elected officials.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZryxYEUOQw]

Addendum… to the “Lobby the government” path above, is to run for office against pro-LNG elected officials. Joe Keating of the Pacific Greens ran for Governor on the Green Party line, and worked with the anti-LNG activists in his area to add political pressure to the message. Link is: here

And, a related video, “Running For Office To Fight Global Warming” (about an hour) is here:

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4087902200137151680&ei=_RHqSZbeIIj4-wGqk9ztDw&q=%22ian+wilder%22+%22global+warming%22&hl=en]

Appreciate and celebrate what you wish to preserve. Two excellent videos celebrating what would be lost with an LNG project. A very positive and inspiring message to build support for NOT building a new fossil fuel project in your area. And, nature scenes are appealing and healing in and of themselves…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q04X0v9hccY]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl14mYIY4Z8]

Research, policy, applying law. Don’t forget the scholarly/legal approach. If someone in your group has the time and focus, they could stay on top of the rules and legal issues, so that better arguments can be made with petitions, public hearing, and court situations. Here is a useful web-site about LNG law. It it by a law firm that represents private and government agencies, so I think there is a basic premise that LNG’s would be useful if done well. But, beyond the bias is detailed information: LNG Law Blog.com

Videos sent in response to the film festival:

This just in from Ireland: The Limerick Blogger sent over this excellent video from when a local community in Ireland was faced with the LNG dilemma. You need Real Player to view this: LNG in Ireland

And, from Pete Maniscalco of Renew Community Earth: “While we have gained a great victory for LI Sound to ward-off invasion by Shell Oil, others in the world have not been so fortunate – among them the people of Nigeria, where Shell has a massive LNG facility that has destroyed the environment and economy of the Ogoni people. Shell, it is alleged, was complicit in the hanging deaths of 9 Ogoni environmental activists, by the Nigerian military, who were peacefully protecting their land and life. Shell will be on trial, shortly, for human rights violations in this case. Please do what you can to create environmental justice for people everywhere.The following contains a link to a video that explains what this case is about:  http://wiwavshell.org/video .  Thanks for your concern of environmental activists everywhere.

Note: If you are interested in fighting various LNG projects along the NY/NJ coast, you can contact www.cleanoceanaction.org or call 732-872-0111 for more information. This organization is battling the following proposed projects: “Insanity Island” in Long Beach, a project of Atlantic Sea Island Group; Exxon’s “Floater” proposed off the coast of Manasquan, New Jersey; and “Liberty Natural Gas”, a project of Excalibur Energy (a new energy conglomerate of Canadian Superior Energy, Inc. and Global LNG, Inc.) which proposes four LNG terminals off the coast of Asbury Park, New Jersey.

More information on the Long Island LNG’s and other organizing and activism in Long Island can be found at: www.peacesmiths.org.

Filed under: 3rd party, activism, Art, Ecology, energy, Environment, green, Green Party, local, long island, Long Island Politics, nature, New York State Politics, News, politics, progressive politics, US Politics Tagged: | activism, broadwater, Liquefied Natural Gas, lng, long beach, Nassau County, natural gas, public hearing, Rockaway, video