CFACT’s Collegian chapters in Syracuse, Sienna College, SUNY-Albany and Union College descended on the capital in Albany, NY on Monday,October 15 to rally in support of fracking in New York state.
CFACT’s Collegian’s Coordinator commented, “New York State has been sitting on the sidelines of the energy boom that has swept through North Dakota and Pennsylvania. We’ve left good jobs and
cheap, clean domestic energy buried under the rocks of environmental ignorance and inertia for too long.”
Collegians marched with several hundred other protesters with a CFACT banner that read, “CHEAP ENERGY? MORE JOBS? A BETTER FUTURE? FRACK-YES!”
‘Fracking’ is the shorthand name given to horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing. This drilling practice combines horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing which uses pressurized liquid to crack shale formations to release oil and gas deposits. This technique has been used successfully in North Dakota, Texas, and in the Marcellus Shale formation in Pennsylvania and to unleash previously unavailable oil and natural gas deposits.
New York state currently bans fracking on the same Marcellus Shale deposit that exists in New York and spreads into Pennsylvania where fracking is allowed and booming.
Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club claim that fracking contaminates water supplies, and the Oscar nominated movie ‘Gasland’ very dramatically showed tap water bursting into flames in a kitchen sink. The ‘Gasland’ director failed to mention that such flammable tap water had been an issue 30 years before fracking had ever been employed, and the Sierra Club ignores the EPA’s findings that no ground water contamination could be attributed to fracking in the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania.
Collegians National Director Bill Gilles commented, “Once again you have green pressure groups grasping at dubious claims to shut down economic progress and access to cheap, safe and domestic energy. We simply can’t afford to take these groups seriously.”
The event was covered in several local newspapers which are linked below:
Times Union story –
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Drilling-allies-getting-antsy-3951352.php
Chinese immigrant calls fracking ban ‘communist’ –
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Supporter-Fracking-ban-is-communist-3951187.php
Times Union Rally pictures –
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/160536/view-photo-gallery-from-pro-fracking-rally-at-the-capitol/
Times Union video of speeches –
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/160485/video-voices-from-pro-fracking-rally/
Hornell Evening news –
http://www.eveningtribune.com/topstories/x781381846/Supporters-of-fracking-rally-march-in-Albany
Press & Sun –
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20121015/NEWS/310150058/Fracking-supporters-rally?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Poughkeepsie Journal –
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20121016/NEWS/310160034/Hundreds-fracking-supporters-rally-Albany?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|PoughkeepsieJournal.com
