ALBANY Hundreds of farmers, small business owners, laborers, homeowners, students and organizations that support them in the fight to create jobs and opportunities through safe and proven natural gas development will ask Governor Cuomo to join them today by lifting the moratorium on high volume hydraulic fracturing in New York.
The rally began this morning at the Corning Preserve Amphitheatre, with speakers from around the state addressing the issues facing their communities and the benefits natural gas development offers. At noon, the crowd will march to the Capitol and gather in West Capitol Park for additional speeches. Speakers include elected officials, labor leaders, small business owners, land owners and an industry representative.
Local groups participating in the rally are: The Chenango County Farm Bureau, Central New York Landowners Coalition, Bainbridge Area Landowners, Oxford Land Group and Joint Landowners Coalition of New York.
We remain confident that New York is on the right path toward safe and responsible development of the Marcellus Shale, and we have quietly waited for four years for DEC to complete its review and recommend best practices that will make the state a leader in natural gas production, said Susan Dorsey, a Chenango County mother of seven and former tax assessor. However, noise by well-funded and organized activists masquerading as environmentalists, who often do not need to make a living in our communities, can no longer go unchecked. We want to make clear we believe that natural gas development offers the best path to create jobs, rebuild communities and restore the future for families across the Southern Tier.