---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
Oliver Bernstein <oliver.bernstein@sierraclub.org>
Date: Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 2:36 PM
Subject: SNL Energy News interview with Deb Nardone
To:
COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS@lists.sierraclub.orgFYI
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 12:06 PM ET
Sierra Club's natural gas reform campaign to focus on industry accountability
By Bryan Schutt
The newly appointed director of the Sierra Club's natural gas reform campaign said that the group will be focused on safeguarding communities from the potential hazards associated with shale gas development and that the campaign will strive to hold industry accountable for its actions.
The campaign supports natural gas as a cleaner alternative to coal and oil but advocates strong federal and state oversight of hydraulic fracturing to ensure that extraction of the fossil fuel does not come at the expense of land, water and community health. Deborah Nardone, whose appointment as director was announced on Jan. 25, said her role will be to advance that mission.
"The overall goal is to protect our communities, our land, our air and our water," she said. "The strength of the Sierra Club is our members. They are well-informed, incredibly organized, and they are pushing to hold the industry accountable to higher standards."
To increase accountability, the campaign will push a myriad of measures. First and foremost, Nardone said, the industry should be held to the same environmental laws all other industries are required to adhere to. "It's pretty unacceptable that they're exempt from [multiple] federal regulations," she said.
Nardone said it will also be vital for adequate resources to be appropriated at all levels of government to provide for more thorough oversight and enforcement. Speaking of oversight, she noted that drilling should never be considered appropriate in certain areas, a point many in New York City have been adamant about.
"Our more sensitive wild lands, our drinking water source watersheds ... and other significant natural resources should be left off limits to drilling," she said.
The Sierra Club's overall mission of increasing energy efficiency and reliance on renewable energy will play a large part of the campaign, too. "As natural gas is being pushed to play a larger role on the scene, we're seeing that reliance on renewables and efficiency is starting to decline," Nardone said. "We should also be looking at pushing renewable energy sources."
Nardone's comments about clean energy were echoed by President Barack Obama during his State of the Union address Jan. 25. Some in the fossil fuels industry pounced on the president's remarks, saying a focus on clean energy should not compromise the economic engine of the exploration and production industry.
While the oil and gas industry is able to tout the economic benefits and jobs created by drilling, Nardone said, that boom cannot be used as an excuse to ignore environmental stewardship.
"If we can't protect our communities and we can't protect our natural resources, than we shouldn't drill for gas," she said. "The argument of jobs versus the environment, they're not opposite each other. If you don't have a healthy community ... then you can't have jobs."
Nardone joins the Sierra Club after working with the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited. With Trout Unlimited, Nardone served as a coldwater resource specialist developing conservation plans to protect the headwaters of streams. She has also worked on watershed protection for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Allegheny Ridge Heritage Area.
Sierra Club Director of Conservation Sarah Hodgdon hailed the announcement. "Deb has been a leader in protecting watersheds throughout Pennsylvania from unsound development," she said in a statement. "We look forward to her bringing her wealth of experience and successful campaigns to this huge challenge on the national stage."
--
Oliver Bernstein
Senior Communications Strategist
Sierra Club
Phone: 512.477.2152
Cell: 512.289.8618
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