READ THIS: Things are heating up. Time to write or call the St. T West CoC business organization and tell them NO to fracking: ARE THEY SO DESPERATE THAT THEY WANT GROWTH AT ANY COST? DONT SH*T WHERE YOU LIVE, PEOPLE. ITS AS SIMPLE AS THAT! WHAT WILL YOU SAY WHEN A GROUP OF UPSET CITIZENS SHOWS UP AT YOUR DOOR AFTER A SPILL? WE WILL DEFEND OUR COMMUNITY AND HOLD ALL RESPONSIBLE PARTIES ACCOUNTABLE. IF YOU SUPPORT FRACKING, THAT MEANS YOU. A message from the Executive Committee St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce 610 Hollycrest Blvd. | Covington, Louisiana 70433 | 985-273-3004 | fax 985-893-4244 Good afternoon, The following is an update on your Chambers response to the Helis Oil proposal to drill in St. Tammany Parish. Since the Helis Oil proposal was made public, your chamber has worked at providing information to our membership. We have posted facts and myths, written articles, and followed the actions of our parish council. We conducted a membership survey in June and shared the results of those 158 responses with our members and the public. Our staff and leadership has conversed with members and non-members on reasons why to either support or oppose the proposal. With all the scientifically proven and legal facts in mind, our board made a decision to remain neutral. We believed the decision to drill ultimately laid in the hands of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. In the meantime, we have listened to the very loud anti-sentiments of an unknown number of citizens. Because of the large presence of these opponents at public governmental entities meetings and public hearings, the perception has become that the opponents are the majority. We are a business organization with a history of effectiveness in community development, a history of providing business support, of building cooperation and collaboration by bringing business and civic organizations together on common purposes, and a promoter of our parishs outstanding quality of life. We are now considering joining with other business partners in the parish and the southeastern region of our great state in supporting a general statement of support for the energy industry. This is what we do. We stand with our partners in peaceful times of prosperity and growth, and we stand with our partners in controversial times of divisive conflict. We take responsibility for our role to promote inclusiveness and civil discourse. The public divisiveness regarding drilling and fracking in St. Tammany has created an atmosphere that is not conducive to informed public debate. Rather, incivility and disrespectful criticism are having a destructive effect on the parishs reputation of being a good place to do business. On October 3, our Parish President and our Chamber received a letter from the Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany (CCST) requesting that we oppose the Helis project. The final sentence of that letter reads: As customers of St. Tammany businesses, the choice to be made is wrapped in the statement: If you want my business, show you care about where we live. A nola and Times-Picayune article was published on this on October 6 with our response that we remain neutral. Click here for article. On October 10, the Northshore Business Council (NBC) released a statement of support of the energy industry. The following Tuesday, a highly critical and inflammatory response letter was sent to them from the CCST; the chamber was copied on that letter. GNO, Inc., the regions economic development agency, has now released a statement in support of the oil and gas industry (click here). Our Executive Committee recommends adding our name to this letter, currently signed by other leading business organizations: Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region, Hammond Area Economic and Industrial Development District, Jefferson Business Council, Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, Plaquemines Association of Business and Industry, River Region Chamber of Commerce, St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce, Southeast Regional Coalition of Business Councils, Tangipahoa Economic Development Foundation, Washington Economic Development Foundation. On Friday, October 17, our Executive Committee agreed to send the GNO, Inc. statement to our full membership today for your review, prior to a board vote next week. Click here for October 20 (todays) article on NBC support. We welcome your input on that vote by a response to this e-mail or a phone call. We are your voice of business, and fully intend to speak on this with our members in mind. Thank you for your support of your Chamber of Commerce, With regards, Lacey Toledano, President John Donahue, Chairman St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce 610 Hollycrest Blvd. | Covington, Louisiana 70433 | 985-273-3004 | fax 985-893-4244
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 13:35:32 +0000
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