REAL EVIDENCE, REAL TESTIMONY, REAL CHALLENGES

LAST NIGHT'S CONDITIONAL USE HEARING BEGAN WITH TESTIMONY BY THE TOWNSHIP-HIRED TRAFFIC CONSULTANT. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY THE BEGINNING OF TESTIMONY BY LAND PLANNER & LANDSCAPE ARCHITECHT TOM COMITTA WHO DEMONSTRATED REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE OF NOT ONLY MUNICIPAL & COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, SUBDIVISIONS, HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLANNING, LAND PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOGRAPHICS AND PARK AND RECREATION PLANNING AND DESIGN - BUT ALSO A DEEP LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE UPPER EAST BRANCH OF THE BRANDYWINE RIVER, LOCAL WETLANDS AND GEOGRAPHIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. A DETAILED WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF HIS 36 YEARS OF DOCUMENTED EXPERIENCE WAS GIVEN TO EACH MEMBER OF THE INTERESTED PARTIES AS WELL AS EACH AUDIENCE MEMBER. MR COMITTA WILL RETURN TO PRESENT HIS FINDINGS NEXT TUESDAY AT 7:30PM AND EXPLAIN WHY THE VALHALLA BRANDYWINE SPA RESORT FAILS TO CONFORM TO THE TOWNSHIP'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND, AS NOTED IN THE CHESTER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION'S ASSESSMENT OF THE PROJECT, IS NOT PROPERLY SUITED TO THE PROPOSED ENVIRONMENTALLY RICH AND SENSITIVE LOCATION.

EXPERT WITNESS TO TESTIFY AGAINST RESORT 3/24

Nationally recognized land planner Thomas J. Comitta, AICP,RLA,ASLA will testify about the many ways the proposed resort destination Valhalla Brandywine fails to meet the requirements of the Township's ordinances in Wallace. Please come at 7:30 PM (Wallace Township Bldg, 1250 Creek Rd, Glenmoore)and bring your friends and neighbors. Let the Supervisors know that the rural character of Wallace and our natural resources need to come first in planning any development.

Dependence on Foreign Oil is Bad, but What is Good?

There is a great deal of talk lately about solving the problem of America's dependence on Foreign Oil by utilizing natural gas found beneath the earth's surface here in the US. Upon first hearing this idea the natural reaction is to agree, if only to help keep American dollars from continually lining the pockets of countries and groups that ultimately wish us harm. Famous and wildly successful investor T. Boone Pickens appeared at last year's symposium of Auto Makers suggesting how truck engines could be converted to use liquified natural gas. This morning he was on "The View" promoting the drilling and piping of natural gas once again (to be fair, along with increased use of solar and wind power). Amid the applause you have to wonder how many people care that this man made his billions extracting oil and gas, and has bought the water rights of 200,000 acres in Texas alone with the intent to pipe and sell the water? "Don't get the idea that I've turned green," Pickens told the Guardian British Press in April 2008 from the Dallas offices of his new venture Mesa Power. "My business is making money, and I think this is going to make a lot of money." He's rich and powerful and has the ear of Washington- and he's promoting his agenda on TV and in web campaigns. But let's talk a minute about the process of drilling for natural gas. The advent of natural gas well drilling and development in the Marcellus shale formation of the Upper Delaware River Watershed has taken the region by storm with the recent signing of hundreds of leases for wells on private land in both Pennsylvania and New York. Chesapeake Energy and several other national energy companies will apply to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) for permits to drill for natural gas using a new technology called hydraulic fracturing—commonly called “fracking”—which allows gas to be extracted from shale deep under the ground using millions of gallons of water per well drawn from the local watershed. This water is combined with chemicals and used to drill anywhere from approx 1500-5000 feet below the surface. Hydraulic fracturing has contaminated water supplies in other states, including Wyoming and New Mexico. The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (www.endocrinedisruption.com) analysis of products pumped deep into the ground during the fracking process to produce natural gas in Colorado revealed 278 toxic chemicals, 93% of which have adverse health effects. Some of this water used in drilling (which is now toxic and deposited into a large pool during the process)leaches into the drinking water aquifers and surface waters. Leaks in the collection pool can contaminate the local topsoil before being trucked out for disposal. Other gases (such as methane) commonly trapped deep within the underground rock are also released into local drinking water supplies during the fracking process. Still sound so good? And who owned 100,000 shares of Chesapeake Energy as of 12/31/2008? Mr. Pickens! Let's be careful with our resources and critical in granting access to them.