Submitted Photo Judi Lutz Woods speaks at Fredonia’s Board of Trustees meeting.

Some anti-natural gas activists got a chilly reception at last week’s Fredonia Board of Trustees meeting.

They spoke out against Republican Mayor Douglas Essek’s recent request that the trustees support natural gas usage, in a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration, in response to an effort by Democrats in Albany to get gas stoves and heaters banned. The request was not on the agenda.

Mary Jane Wagner said she was representing the Green Sanctuary Team of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Northern Chautauqua. Citing climate concerns, she asked that the letter not get sent.

“Although natural gas does produce fewer CO2 emissions than burning coal or oil, it is not clean,” she said. Wagner also expressed worries about methane emissions, and water contamination from hydrofracking used to extract natural gas.

“We support steps toward a sustainable future and we ask you to as well,” she concluded.

A little later, Mary Croxton said, “We should support climate initiatives.” She noted her house, built in 1847, has transitioned its heating sources over the years. “These things are evolutionary, in terms of how we approach our environment. I think it’s important for us to realize this evolutionary change — that natural gas, as you’ve heard, has some detrimental effects on our environment.”

After she stepped down from the podium, Essek said, “Just for the board’s information, you have a number of other items that take priority over global warming at this time.” He laughed and added, “Not that it’s not important, but we need to concentrate on things that are affecting our village and residents right now for health and safety.”

Judi Lutz Woods immediately rose to push back against Essek, as the public speaking portion of the meeting continued.

“There is nothing, nothing, more important than the climate crisis,” she said. “We just have limited time left to try to address this, to not let the temperatures go any higher.”

Woods said climate change “threatens our very existence. I just don’t know how to stress that more…I’m just appalled at people still not understanding what is going on with our climate.”

“I don’t know if you’re looking bored or something over there. This is not fun. This isn’t funny… where do you think people are going to go from the city when the sea levels start to rise?” she added. “We need to be prepared, we need to start addressing this.”

She offered to send a New York Times article on the issue to trustees. “I said I don’t want it,” said Trustee Dave Bird.

“Can I ask you why?” Woods replied.

“We’re not going back and forth,” said Trustee Nicole Siracuse.

Woods said, “I hope that some of you, it reaches you, that you are open to it. … you can roll your eyes and everything like that, I guess it doesn’t matter to you.”

Essek told Woods her three minutes of time was up.

SUNY Fredonia student Michael Williams said the village should not send a pro-natural gas letter “because we all want money for the Brooks hospital (from the state). It just seems like a very bad approach to give that letter to the governor when we’re trying to get funds… They’re not going to listen to us when this governor has a policy agenda, and we’re telling her it’s wrong.”