September 5, 2012 The Honorable Andrew M.

Cuomo Governor of New York State NYS Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224 Dear Governor Cuomo: We, the undersigned elected officials, are writing to you with an urgent appeal to make a decision with regard to natural gas drilling in the Southern Tier of the state. As you know, we have been on the front lines in this debate for several years. We have studied the facts and data. We have talked to experts. Many of us have visited Pennsylvania to see ongoing drilling operations. All of us have had extensive interaction with our constituents. Based upon this careful deliberation, we have come to the conclusion that natural gas extraction, if handled properly, represents a unique opportunity to help our communities produce jobs and economic activity. Pursuant to your published comments on this matter, we have all enacted town resolutions declaring our support for the DEC and the Executive and its process for moving forward. This action has made us a target for those who oppose the process. These individuals, most of whom live far outside our communities, simply do not care about our economic situation. Their concerns are ideological; ours are practical. We understood there would be strident opposition when we passed resolutions in favor of responsible drilling, but we went ahead in the belief that you wanted a demonstration of support and that it would advance the process. More than 40 towns have now passed resolutions in favor of responsible drilling. We consider this to be evidence of strong support for responsible drilling in the affected region. Given this demonstration of support, we do not understand the continued delay by your administration. We do not understand why New York State continues to debate a process that is carried out successfully in dozens of states for years and which was hailed recently by President Obama as an economic and environmental boom to the nation. On behalf of our constituents, we urge you to act to direct the DEC to move forward as soon as possible with rules and regulations governing the process and to begin permitting. We want you to know that continued delay is problematic for several reasons. First, you need to understand the dire situation facing both our constituents and our municipalities. Our constituents farms, businesses and finances are precarious. Many individuals are holding on in expectation of being able to develop their property, but they cannot hold on much longer. Every day of delay means more will have to sell out. As you might imagine, this has a tremendous negative impact on municipal finances. Perhaps no other region of the state has been harder hit by economic decline than our region. Responsible drilling is our best hope for resurgence. Second, continued delay diminishes the economic benefits that could accrue in the Southern Tier if drilling was permitted. In this regard, businesses in this sector are making investment decisions now that

will mean jobs added in Pennsylvania instead of New York. We are aware of several instances recently where major support facilities linked to drilling have been constructed across the border rather than in New York. We have lost jobs and investment as a result. Lastly, the delay is only empowering opponents, some of whom have now taken to civil disobedience and other disruptive acts. While everyone supports the right of people to express their views, we see a situation where opponents are distorting the facts and trying to impose their views of what is right in our community. For all these reasons and more, we urge you to act as soon as possible. We urge you to enact a plan to promote responsible drilling. Thank you for considering our views on this matter. Signees: Supervisor Lois Dilworth Town of Barker Supervisor James E. Finch Town of Conklin Supervisor Tim Whitesell Town of Binghamton Supervisor Randy Williams Town of Windsor Supervisor George Ludington Town of Maine Supervisor Dewey Decker Town of Sanford Supervisor Tim Axtell Town of Deposit Supervisor Lucille Kernan Town of Jasper Supervisor Charles Harmon Town of Avoca Supervisor Marcia Burns Town of Bath Supervisor Robert Nichols Town of Tuscarora Supervisor Scott Grant Town of Woodhull

Supervisor Ed Sykes Town of Delaware, Sullivan County Deputy Supervisor Harold G. Roeder, Jr. Town of Delaware, Sullivan County Supervisor Samuel N. Rowe, Jr. Town of Hancock Supervisor George Conklin III Town of Fremont Supervisor Ron McEwen Town of Berkshire Supervisor Arvo Rautine Town of Spencer Supervisor Lewis Zorn Town of Tioga Supervisor Leon Cary Town of Barton Supervisor Bob Riggs Town of Candor Supervisor James Branston Town of Nichols