OXFORD – A petition imploring the Oxford town board to reconsider enacting a moratorium on high volume hydraulic fracturing was submitted last Thursday. Although the Village of Oxford was the first municipality in Chenango County to pass a moratorium on the natural gas drilling activity in September, the Town of Oxford decided, in August, to remain neutral. The petition submitted last week was signed by 972 Oxford town and village residents. According to a 2010 census, 3,901 people live in the town.
A letter affixed to the binder containing the 972 signatures, addressed to the Oxford town’s councilmen, clerk, and supervisor, indicated that signatories from other townships as well as duplicate signatories had been excluded from the total number. The letter went on to ask members of the town board to consider their responsibility to represent the views of all of the town’s residents and take more time to address all of the issues surrounding fracturing. The letter also stated that “by enacting a moratorium, the Oxford Town Board will make its intention clear to the governor and the DEC that the Oxford Town Board is committed to protecting its residents ...” The letter also made clear that of the 972 signatories, 817 expressed an interest in an outright ban.
The Oxford Town Board officially received the petition, but took no action. About 12 people were in attendance and individuals expressed concerns over what they perceived as inadequacies in the drafted budget for the 2013 fiscal year. Three speakers addressed the board, voicing opinions about the budget which they felt insufficiently accounted for possible increases in town spending should hydraulic fracturing take place there. Concerns voiced over the budget ranged from potential increases in 2013 spending to cover drilling-related increases in spending on fire department, road and legal fees.
Reading from a prepared statement, Irving Wesley Hall, a former SUNY Morrisville American History professor, addressed the board. “The assumption behind the draft budget is that the town’s income and expenses will be virtually the same in 2013 as in 2010-2012.” Hall continued saying, “that’s not a fiscally sound assumption ... The budget does not include the additional income and expenses from massive gas industrialization.”
Hall focused on the town’s current zoning ordinances, written in 2007, which he said he feels fail to properly account for drilling terms, such as compulsory integration. The dated ordinances leave the town exposed to potential legal actions which the 2013 budget does not allot for, said Hall. In conclusion, Hall asked to town to accept a moratorium so they would have time to draft new zoning ordnances which would properly address drilling.
Supervisor Lawrence Wilcox responded by first reminding Hall that because it was a budget meeting, the board was not permitted to take action on zoning issues. He asked Hall how much money he believed the planning board should set aside for legal fees. Hall responded by saying the amount of money was incalculable.
No proponents of gas drilling spoke during the meeting.