Although a Climate Bill did not pass through federal legislation at all, a 9 month moratorium on Hydraulic Fracturing did pass in New York State, because of environmental concerns. However, there is no temporary ban on business deals between the Natural Gas companies and landowners, so therefore, the industry, which has leased up much of Western New York, can still buy leases from landowners, including struggling farmers. The moratorium passed 48 to 9, and the senate is holding a press conference outside of City Hall. Frack Action and other environmental groups will be there, as well as Mark Ruffalo, actor in The Kids are All Right and Shutter Island. Ruffalo owns a house in the Hudson Valley upstate and has been speaking out against Hydrofracking, including at a Frack Action press conference in Albany. Anybody can come to this press conference, and all are welcome to bring signs and turn this into a huge rally. This will be one of two major demonstrations that Frack Action will be participating in this week.
When Frack Action first flyered in Union Square and Washington Square Park in the beginning of the summer, almost none of the recipients of the flyers were familiar with the issue. Yesterday, when I flyered and got letters signed with United For Action in Union Square, perhaps half of the people that we were able to stop and engage in dialogue with knew the issue through and through and most of those people had scene at least a clip of the film, Gasland.
On Thursday a bus organized by Sierra Club Atlantic is leaving from the Union Square at Barnes and Nobles at 8AM and will return at 11PM for the EPA hearing on Fracking in Binghamton. This is an opportunity to make a sign, to join a rally, to sport visuals that show which side you are on at the hearing, and even to testify or speak on behalf of Water or Gas. There is no required fee for the bus trip, although there is a recommended donation of at least $25. You can register for the trip here, http://www.frackaction.com/content/sign-here-nyc-buses-volunteering-housing.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=146358225391390&ref=mf
http://www.propublica.org/article/new-york-senate-passes-temporary-ban-on-hydraulic-fracturing
PS: New location for the hearings: ON Center (Onondaga Events Center) in Syracuse, NY.
Voices From Gasland rally will happen outside the ON Center starting at 12 noon
-We'll see how this affects buses
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