OXFORD – The Chenango County Planning Board denied a proposed amendment to the Village of Oxford’s zoning ordinance, which would zone out shale gas drilling within the village limits. A public hearing on the suggested land use change is scheduled for 7:30 tonight at the American Legion Post 376’s banquet room in Oxford. Without the county planning board’s blessing, a minimum of four village board of trustees must vote in favor of the proposal in order for it to be enacted.
Described as “a confirmatory/clarification,” the amendment is following the same process for approval as a previously proposed nine-month moratorium on shale gas drilling, or high water volume hydraulic fracturing. Although the suggested moratorium was never enacted by the village board of trustees, and the proposal expired Jan. 13, the Chenango County Planning Board had approved it with a list of recommendations and concerns.
“The only difference between now and last time is they approved the moratorium with a list of recommendations,” said Mayor Terry Stark yesterday. “This time they disapproved the clarification amendment, though they listed the same
concerns as they did last time.”
Chenango County Planning Board’s Review Committee Chair Ted Guinn said the board decided not to approve the zoning change for reasons listed in a letter to the mayor. He also said the board “had more time to look” at the proposed change.
Guinn’s committee informed Stark of its disapproval of the amendment via letter last Thursday. Four separate concerns are listed. The first claims the statement in the amendment, “any use not specifically permitted is prohibited,” is too vague and may unintentionally zone out land uses which the community may want. Secondly, the letter advises the village to first update its comprehensive plan before adopting an amendment to its zoning ordinance. And third, the letter recommends the village wait for state to release the results of its studies, going on to say, “as such, any local law which would contradict state rules would be superseded by state regulations and therefore become moot.”
Lastly, the letter voices concern that an amendment to the Village of Oxford Local Zoning law could have economic impacts in other parts of the area. “There is a worry that if passed, it may impact nearby towns which decide to approve hydraulic fracturing,” explained Guinn.
“This decision reflects the incredible amount of gas company pressure on an area where no one has proposed to drill,” said member of the Oxford Visionaries, Irving Wesley Hall. “The text of the county planning board’s letter clearly states towns and villages should wait to protect themselves until after the state has started issuing drilling permits and it is too late.”
Members of the Central New York Landowners Coalition agreed with the county planning board’s assessment.
“When the Mayor of Oxford entertained the idea of a moratorium, our statement was ‘New York State has not yet completed their studies,’ and we noted the Binghamton decision indicated how foolish that was,” said CNYLC member Bryant La Tourette Sr. “It would be prudent to wait until the state’s final study is complete and released. Our sentiments were also echoed by an insightful village trustee. Villages and towns second guessing the state are wasting time, taxpayers money, and inviting litigation.”