The hydrofracking controversy heated up in Rochester Thursday. A group opposed to fracking in New York picketed outside the Greece office of State Senator Joe Robach. This was one of several rallies across the state.
The state has a moratorium on drilling, while the DEC studies the impact of hydrofracking. But it’s reported the Governor Cuomo may support the idea of drilling in four southern tier counties, if the people there want it. Environmentalists are calling it the great moral principle of the day, protecting the earth.
More than 50 people marched outside the Greece office of New York State Senator Joe Robach. They carried signs that said, “Hands off Mother Earth” and “Senator Robach: Do Your Job, Support the Ban.” The state anti-fracking coalition claims they are uniting grassroots groups across the state.
Rita Yelda, New Yorkers against Fracking, said, “The coalition has been talking to a lot of businesses who are also very concerned about fracking in New York State, businesses that you wouldn't think that they would have anything to do with some sort of environmental cause.”
Bill Moehle, Brighton Supervisor, said, “We're standing firm against hydrofracking in Brighton.”
Brighton supervisor Bill Moehle says his town has voted for a ban on hydraulic fracturing and the town is updating its town code to include a comprehensive ban on all hydrofracking activity. One of the major complaints is the toll heavy trucks take on local roads.
Moehle said, “The impact on our highway system, the risk of things like injection wells, hazardous waste storage related to hydrofracking, none of that is appropriate in a community like Brighton.”
Hydrofracking involves injecting a mix of water, sand and chemicals into the ground to fracture shale formations to release natural gas trapped there. The natural gas industry says new technology makes the process safe.
Cherrie Messore, Independent Oil & Gas Association of NY, said, “The technology is solid. It is standard. It has been proven safe. There has never been one instance of groundwater contamination as the result of hydraulic fracturing."
But people at the rally say fracking harms more than just groundwater, and water basins like the Genesee River. Nedra Harvey, of the group Rochesterians Concerned about Unsafe Shale Gas Extraction, says state leaders need to be courageous to say no.
Harvey said, “Once this all lands in the water or in the air, it's going to be in the soil, in the land and into the food that we eat.”
State Senator Robach issued a statement saying that he voted for the temporary moratorium.
“The federal government and the Obama administration have hailed the process and in-depth study being performed by New York State and I am anxious to review the final reports from the state DEC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
Assemblyman Joe Morelle has signed on to a letter to the governor from a colleague that demands six critical questions be answered before he would support fracking and until the those requirements have been fulfilled, Morelle wants the moratorium to remain in place.
The hydrofracking controversy heated up in Rochester Thursday. A group opposed to fracking in New York picketed outside the Greece office of State Senator Joe Robach. This was one of several rallies across the state.
The state has a moratorium on drilling, while the DEC studies the impact of hydrofracking. But it’s reported the Governor Cuomo may support the idea of drilling in four southern tier counties, if the people there want it. Environmentalists are calling it the great moral principle of the day, protecting the earth.
More than 50 people marched outside the Greece office of New York State Senator Joe Robach. They carried signs that said, “Hands off Mother Earth” and “Senator Robach: Do Your Job, Support the Ban.” The state anti-fracking coalition claims they are uniting grassroots groups across the state.
Rita Yelda, New Yorkers against Fracking, said, “The coalition has been talking to a lot of businesses who are also very concerned about fracking in New York State, businesses that you wouldn't think that they would have anything to do with some sort of environmental cause.”
Bill Moehle, Brighton Supervisor, said, “We're standing firm against hydrofracking in Brighton.”
Brighton supervisor Bill Moehle says his town has voted for a ban on hydraulic fracturing and the town is updating its town code to include a comprehensive ban on all hydrofracking activity. One of the major complaints is the toll heavy trucks take on local roads.
Moehle said, “The impact on our highway system, the risk of things like injection wells, hazardous waste storage related to hydrofracking, none of that is appropriate in a community like Brighton.”
Hydrofracking involves injecting a mix of water, sand and chemicals into the ground to fracture shale formations to release natural gas trapped there. The natural gas industry says new technology makes the process safe.
Cherrie Messore, Independent Oil & Gas Association of NY, said, “The technology is solid. It is standard. It has been proven safe. There has never been one instance of groundwater contamination as the result of hydraulic fracturing."
But people at the rally say fracking harms more than just groundwater, and water basins like the Genesee River. Nedra Harvey, of the group Rochesterians Concerned about Unsafe Shale Gas Extraction, says state leaders need to be courageous to say no.
Harvey said, “Once this all lands in the water or in the air, it's going to be in the soil, in the land and into the food that we eat.”
State Senator Robach issued a statement saying that he voted for the temporary moratorium.
“The federal government and the Obama administration have hailed the process and in-depth study being performed by New York State and I am anxious to review the final reports from the state DEC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
Assemblyman Joe Morelle has signed on to a letter to the governor from a colleague that demands six critical questions be answered before he would support fracking and until the those requirements have been fulfilled, Morelle wants the moratorium to remain in place.
