I Hope Andrew Cuomo Got a Message Today

[Tom Rinaldo]

Just got back a little while ago from a March and Rally in Albany calling for a New York State wide ban on fracking for natural gas. Probably about two to three thousand people took part. That might not seem like a large number to some, but it is. Albany is not a very large city nor is it located near any larger ones. And remember, Monday is a workday. This wasn't a weekend rally with big name speakers and entertainers.

Almost everyone there, with very strong circumstantial evidence supporting it, believes Cuomo plans to go through with allowing fracking in the Southern Tier area of the State. Today was a warning to him of what lies ahead if he goes ahead and takes that path.

I can not in any way call myself a committed anti-fracking activist. I haven't put in the work to earn that distinction. I attended today though because I really care about this issue and I had the time and means to get there, so I went in support of those who organized it. I salute and applaud them for all the effort that went into the rousing call for action today event signifies.

While I haven't personally stepped up to become an anti-fracking activist (not yet anyway) I was an anti-nuclear power activist in the late 70's and early 80'. I was one of many grassroots organizers who brought a major energy industry to its knees for decades bu mobilizing ordinary people to do heroic things. I know a powerful grassroots movement when I see it and I saw one gathered in Albany today..

The anti-fracking coalition is broad, organized, fervent, and committed for the long haul. It is a true bottom up movement, with leaders emerging from farms and neighborhoods across the state. It is filled with the type of people that local people know well and greatly respect. They can not be marginalized or dissuaded by industry propaganda or scare tactics.

The event today culminated in the delivery of 3200 signatures on a pledge to resist fracking anywhere in New York State petition. Those aren't merely expressions of opposition to fracking, they are pledges to resist it by whatever non violent means necessary . The thousands of people who showed up today in Albany were the classic tip of the iceberg; because it was primarily a crowd of organizers who made the trip there today, come together from all across New York State and beyond. They represented far deeper ranks of hard core opponents to fracking who are busy organizing in their own communities but who could not all afford the time and money to journey to Albany on a word day.

This movement is growing and it is growing organically. It is also growing exponentially. The anti-fracking movement is deeply rooted at the community level where it can not simply be eradicated by energy corporation influence. I've been there before, I've seen how this grows, I know where this is heading and I can only hope Governor Cuomo has his eyes open and his ear to the ground, or he will be pained by what will soon hit him All Democratic elected State Senators in New York State (and they are one short of being in the majority) support a ban on fracking. Which side are you on Andrew? If you chose the wrong one you can forget about any Presidential ambitions.

[monmouth]

1. Be nice if we saw this on the news, especially with crowds like that. Very important..n/t

[Tom Rinaldo]

2. I agree. It's dangerous to make assumptions but I assume it got/will get local coverage.

It should be getting National coverage though. The battle for a fracking ban in New York has major implications for much of the nation. The thing is, it is really only a matter of time before this will start being covered. That's the message I came away with. There is no way this fight will gets stuffed back into a bottle and ignored. Organizing efforts are paying off. Town after town after town are banning fracking inside New York State. And when one town succeeds, those behind the organizing effort reach out to help those in surrounding communities. Passion is rising, bonds are being forged, and facts are coming to light. Neighbors ARE reaching out to neighbors - it is crossing age income and partisan lines because people are responding to a need to defend the land they live on and the economy that employs them on a sustainable basis. It will only grow from here.

[monmouth]

3. That is great news. Andrew could say good bye to his career very easily..n/t

[Tom Rinaldo]

4. Here's some of the coverage I found - including in California

Fracking opponents rally, as gov's decision nears
Originally published: August 27, 2012 1:24 PM
Updated: August 27, 2012 1:27 PM
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://newyork.newsday.com/towns/fracking-opponents-rally-as-gov-s-decision-nears-1.3930046

Opponents of shale gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing gathered in Albany on Monday to keep up the pressure on Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he prepares to decide whether to allow the practice after four years of studying its health and environmental impacts.

A coalition of groups rallied at Albany's Corning Preserve along the Hudson River before a march to the Capitol to deliver a pledge of resistance...

That's all Newsday lets you read without being a subscriber



Coverage from San Francisco:

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — More than 1,000 demonstrators marched to New York's state Capitol on Monday to keep up the pressure on Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he prepares to decide whether to allow shale gas drilling using high-volume hydraulic fracturing after four years of studying its health and environmental impacts...

...Josh Fox, director of the anti-fracking documentary "Gasland," vowed civil disobedience if New York state regulators allow shale gas drilling.

"If they allow this to happen, I'm putting myself between the rig and the pad," Fox shouted to the roaring crowd.

The Department of Environmental Conservation is nearing completion of an environmental impact study and new regulations for gas drilling using horizontal drilling and high-volume fracking technology. When the study is complete, Cuomo is expected to allow drilling to begin on a limited basis in communities near the Pennsylvania border.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Fracking-opponents-rally-NY-gov-s-decision-nears-3817046.php#ixzz24nBeiviD

[CK_John]

5. !0 yrs too late, fracking is proven technology. We alway whine about the given and then

wonder why. We (collective we) are too lazy to read about research, ask question, or do anything until it show up in our back yard.

The whole state of N Dakota is like a new gold rush. Boom town, money flowing, not enough houses for workers. Millions changing hands every day.

And you think Como is going to bypass that parade, no matter how bad it screws up the water table for eons or causes mini quakes. It will start with trial projects and explode.

It too late, the train has left the station.

[Tom Rinaldo]

7. I expect Cuomo to go for the money

And fracking is proven technology the same way that painting radium onto watch faces so that they would glow in the dark once was also "proven" also.

I expect that there will be fracking in New York but the opposition to it will continue to swell. I don't have the citation but the State Senator who is carrying the bill to ban fracking said polls in New York State show that the majority already oppose it. Fracking will ultimately be beaten back, but not before damage is done, including to Cuomo's career. Yes he will be able to get reelected in NY but by the time the 2016 race begins in earnest public opinion - especially inside the Democratic Party - will have swung strongly against fracking and Cuomo won't be able to get out of the primaries with the nomination if he runs.

There are reasons why New York is a solid blue state. People here in upstate New York (I live in the Catskills) actually care about the environment and understand that local economies depend directly or indirectly on clean air and water and the ability to both promote and enjoy and protect it. Some land owners will want to cash in sure, but most local voters want nothing to do with fracking even in areas where "money is to be made" off it. That is why there is a rapidly growing movement on the town and county level to ban fracking regardless of the position New York State takes, and those local bans on fracking have been holding up under court challanges.

[msongs]

6. can't NY find a real democrat to elect as governor? nt

[OnyxCollie]

8. Faux Democrats and real Republicans

in the states surrounding the Great Lakes are what the energy industry needs to dissolve the Great Lakes pact.

Fracking requires a lot of water, and what better place to get it than our nation's largest supply of fresh water?

[firehorse]

9. I won't be voting for Cuomo again if he keeps his stance on fracking.

I wonder what Spitzer's stance would have been.

[Tom Rinaldo]

10. My hunch is Spitzer would have been stronger against Fracking

But I call it a hunch because I really don't know. Regarding voting for Cuomo again, I've settled on a pragmatic compromise formula for situations like this. If it comes down to Cuomo or a far worse Republican for Governor, yeah I'll vote for Cuomo, even if he allows fracking. However I will not lift a finger for him anywhere outside of the voting booth ever more, nor invest a dime in any of his campaigns.

Since I can be very active in politics, to me that distinction means something. It takes me at most an hour to go vote once a year. In Cuomo's case he benefits (along with other Democratic candidates on the ballot) from one hour of my time every four years when he needs to run for reelection. I'll give him that much in opposition to a much worse Republican. However my support can be measured in hundreds of hours for politicians who I honor. He is not worth that time to me if he approves Fracking. Those hours will go into the anti-fracking movement in New York instead - and it that hurts Cuomo so be it.