Sandra Steingraber, author, cancer survivor and member of the faculty at Ithaca College, is donating $100,000 to groups fighting the state’s push for hydrofracking. The money recently was awarded to her by the Pittsburgh-based Heinz Foundation in recognition of her environmental advocacy. She announced her decision to donate the award in conjunction with the release of a letter calling on Governor Cuomo to require the state to evaluate the effects of fracking on cancer rates in New York.
“With this letter, New York’s cancer survivors—and those who love and advocate for them—have clearly proclaimed that we do not want a carcinogen-dependent form of fossil fuel extraction blowing up the shale bedrock of New York state until and unless its safety is demonstrated,” Steingraber said. “The SGEIS has made no such demonstration. It does not even contain a cancer risk assessment.
“New York state’s cancer rates already rank number 11 in the nation. We want the governor to bring those numbers down, not engage in a toxic form of energy extraction that threatens to add more data points to our state’s cancer registry.”