Starkey extends industrial fracking moratorium

STARKEY—The town of Starkey extended their moratorium on high impact industrial uses during their regular meeting Thursday, April 10. This comes after the Yates County planning board had previously denied the town’s request for another year-long moratorium extension during last month’s meeting. The town overrode this decision with a unanimous vote so the town could continue to study the effects the fracking industry would have upon the community.
Some 22 Starkey residents attended the meeting to show their support for extending the moratorium. Several audience members spoke during the public hearing, highlighting several of the environmental dangers the fracking industry poses. Jack Ossont said he believes the county planning board should not have made their decision without Starkey’s representative and Supervisor Jim Ritter at their last meeting.
Ritter said the town has sent their moratorium requests to the county planning board, but they do not have the final say in the matter. He said they are more of a reference, and do not make the final decision. Ritter said the county planning board would not approve the moratorium extension because it is the town’s third one, adding they do not like to see towns extend the moratoriums out that far.
Ritter said Starkey made the extension request because the town boards are still working on studying the issue. He said the state has not decided their final regulations, adding they have been studying the issue for around four to five years now. Councilman William Holagte said while moratoriums are not supposed to go on indefinitely, he added the town’s lawyers have suggested approving it as a symbolic gesture. Holgate said the Starkey town board “will always fight for home rule.”
“I would hate to give up the town’s power,” Councilman Fred Shoemaker said. “This is supposed to be town rule but it seems to me like county rule. [...] It really annoys me we have to vote on something we have already voted for.”
Councilman George Lawson even proposed the possibility of implementing a five-year ban on fracking within the town of Starkey in order to give the state enough time to come to a final decision. He cited the town of Jerusalem’s ban as an example so the town does not need to keep coming back every year for a moratorium extension.
“If the state doesn’t have final regulations, how can you make a long term decision?” Lawson asked.