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Letters
NOV 16, 2008 Catskill Heritage Alliance Letter to Governor Paterson
Letter to Governor Spitzer from a 7th Grader
JAN 10 2008 Ulster County Legislator Brian Shapiro's Letter to Daniel Whitehead regarding Scoping
JAN 9 2008 Ulster County Legislator Don Gregorius' Letter to Daniel Whitehead regarding scoping
NYS Assemblyman Kevin Cahill's letter to the governor.
Read Oct 2007 letters to the Phoenicia Times.
Oct 2007 Letter to the Editor at the Daily Star.
Sample Letter
Hon. David A. Patterson, Governor
State Capitol,
Albany, NY 12224
Dear Governor Paterson:
I am writing about the proposed Belleayre Resort project in the Catskills, which poses a grave danger to New York City's water supply. The Catskills, a largely forested area about two hours north of New York City, provides 90% of New York City's unfiltered drinking water, a source of pride for New Yorkers. Pollution of that water by development would lead to a filtration order from the federal government costing New Yorkers upwards of $30 billion.
The proposed Belleayre Resort plan would cover more than one square mile, more than 500 football fields laid end to end – the largest development in any New York City watershed. In a "compromise agreement" (the "Agreement in Principle" or "AIP") negotiated and signed by former Governor Eliot Spitzer in September, 2007, there would be a golf course, 629 housing units, two hotels, two underground parking garages and miles of roads – all on top of a fragile mountaintop, less than 9 miles from the Pepacton Reservoir, which supplies 25% of New York City's drinking water.
The Spitzer agreement with the developer ignores the NYS review process under the State Environmental Quality Review Act and promises $47 million in taxpayer dollars to expand a state-owned Belleayre Ski Center. It would also re-build Highmount, an abandoned ski center adjacent to the planned resort at an undisclosed cost, providing lifts and trails to the resort and enhancing the developer's profit at taxpayer expense.
Worst of all, the AIP contains many loopholes and does not hold the builder to any specific standards to protect NYC water. The much-publicized "organic" golf course can drop its organic status in 5 years. Storm water runoff from roads and building could pollute our reservoir, but no specific controls are promised.
The precedent this plan would set is frightening. If such a scheme is approved, no water supplies anywhere in our state are safe. Once our water is polluted by development, New Yorkers will pay the price – at $30 billion, the cost of filtration will have a terrible effect on both city and state economies.
At a time of economic slowdown when New York State has a deficit budget and ski resorts and golf courses are going out of business, New York State can ill afford this kind of welfare to rich investors – especially when the end cost would be $30 billion for filtration of New York's greatest asset – its water.
Please veto this illegal AIP agreement and work with us to save our state watersheds.
Sincerely,
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