Source : Herald Dispatch

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Professional and amateur designers alike are invited to submit their creations to the West Virginia Sierra Club bumper sticker contest.

The bumper sticker design should send a message that raises awareness about Marcellus Shale gas drilling issues.

The deadline for submitting a design is midnight, Sept. 12. The winner will receive $100. The winner will be announced during SierraFest 2010 September 17-19 at Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Ripley, W.Va.

Entries must be submitted to Deborah Fulton at dfvet@aol.com.

Source : AlterNet

New York’s Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure today at 12:17 a.m. that would postpone gas drilling in its share of the Marcellus Shale, a methane-rich rock formation that also extends under parts of West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania (for more on the topic, check out AlterNet’s coverage here). Drilling has been halted until May 15, 2011.

The 48-9 decision is a result of increased attention on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial gas extraction process that involves pulverizing underground rock formations with pressurized water, sand and chemicals. Fracking, as it’s also called, has been linked to a potpourri of environmental problems across the United States — from air pollution to methane leakage to cattle deaths.

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Precedent is being established at this very moment.  New York State has put a halt to natural gas development until more information is gathered.  They are actively deliberating NOW!  Call or write the New York State legislators and tell them to HALT DRILLING IN SHALE FORMATIONS!  Supporting the moratorium there ultimately improves our chances of success in the rest of the nation!

From : http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/alerts/view/6

Alert Type national Organization Name GASLAND: New York State Fracking Moratorium State New York Zip 12201 Details Even if you do not live in NY State, please call or email New York State legislators in support of a Moratorium on Shale Gas drilling that could serve as a national model to hault fracking. This week is CRUCIAL. Please Call or Email NOW! Sen. Antoine Thompson 518-455-3371  athompso@senate.state.ny.us Speaker Sheldon Silver 518-455-3791  http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=064&sh=contact Gov. David A. Patterson 518-474-8390 http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php Sen. John Sampson 518-455-2788 sampson@senate.state.ny.us. Sen. Malcolm Smith 518-455-2701  masmith@senate.state.ny.us SAMPLE EMAIL: Dear New York State Legislators- “I call upon you, an elected official of the State of New York, to impose a moratorium on drilling in shale formations, a decision which will protect the land, air and water of our state. As has been shown in cases across the country, from Colorado to Pennsylvania, hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” for natural gas is not safe. I am extremely concerned for our public health and safety and for the integrity of our clean water and air. As the disaster in the gulf continues to unfold and gas drilling accidents are a staple on the news, this is hardly the time to allow industry profit to trump citizen safety. We urge you to pass the strongest possible moratorium bill now so that the health problems, water contamination issues and air pollution problems can be fully assessed by the public and the legislature. Thank you.”