Victor Furman
Upstate New York Landowner, Shale Gas Activist

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Victor Furman lays out exactly why he’s running for a seat in the New York State General Assembly; to speak up loudly for the rights of Upstate New Yorkers.

Many of you know I’m running for a seat in New York’s General Assembly. I’m running because we need a disruptor in our legislature who is not afraid to speak out and speak up for us in a way that cannot be ignored. I can’t promise to win every battle but I will fight every battle. About this time last year, in fact, I posted here about starting a lawsuit against Andrew Cuomo and his theft of our mineral rights. I raised and several thousand dollars. It was, unfortunately, short of the $50,000 I needed so I returned it all, but I fought—for all of us. That’s who I am and I’ve decided the best place to fight is in the Assembly.

As Tom said last week, Governor Cuomo may have done New York landowners a favor by banning our rights to lease without compensation making a lawsuit much more viable and increasing our chances of winning in Federal Court. My question to the readers here is this: Has Cuomo so disheartened New Yorkers with his delays that there is no one willing to step up to the plate and organize a lawsuit?

I get it that the price of fuel is in the dumpster right now, but it won’t always be! We should move forward and never quit. That, in fact, is my campaign promise which is “I won’t quit until we win.” If I do get elected, it will be because of the internet. That’s because the Corona virus has dictated there will no debates and no addressing of unions or clubs or auxiliaries.

What have we been missing from Upstate New York politicians? We’ve seen many come and go, all promising they supported us, but what did they accomplish? Did they actually fight? No, they never fought for our rights. About the only thing you ever heard from most was an occasional “if we were drilling for gas we’d be better off.” They completely dropped the ball with opportunity after opportunity as science and experience elsewhere proved Cuomo was wrong! They were content to let the issue die quietly.

Yes, they were silent. But, I cannot be silent and won’t be. It’s not in me. If elected, as a matter of fact, I will hold news conferences and share new science with the people using my office as a positive force to educate the general public. I will tap the articles written here as well as in the Marcellus Drilling News!  I will make known the many, many university studies that have come out in favor of safe natural gas drilling.

We must not tire in this fight even if we should believe we will not benefit from leasing! We must carry on for our children and our grandchildren and even theirs, as over and over again drilling has been done safely and without destroying the earth.

Drilling for gas is so much cleaner today with only minor surface impacts. There is far less mining and deforestation than there is with solar and wind energy.Wind and solar are far more harmful to our planet than natural gas. That’s one of the reasons I favor it. It’s also, of course, about landowners’ rights to their minerals and what that could mean economically to the Southern Tier.

If you’re in New York State’s 122nd Assembly District please share the word on my campaign with your friends and family. Ask them to support the only candidate who will truly fight for them and never be silent—Victor Furman—and for that I thank you!